From Shanghai to the Hong Kong
by Old Gamer
Summary: TRANSFORMATION COMPANION STORY regarding Yuán Xiùlán... Traynor's non-canon love interest, from before events of ME1; how they met, fell in love, what they taught each other, and how decisions made then affected their lives in a post-synthesis galaxy. Rated strong 'M' for some content; generally a 'T'. Contains series spoilers. Bioware owns all, except OC characters and AU events…
1. Leaving Earth

_**A/N:** The Chinese/English translations appear in brackets immediately after the Chinese words – these are non-spoken words and are generally in italics for translations of spoken Chinese, or non-italic for translations of __thou__g__hts__ in Chinese. There may be a few words (generally curse words) that don't have translations. Non-verbal thoughts are in 'italics' with single quotes; incoming 'com' speech is in italics with double quotes. __If you read and enjoy this chapter, please continue on — I generally post each new chapter near the end of the month._

* * *

*** YEAR 2178 CE, DECEMBER • EARTH, CHINA, CITY of SHANGHAI ***

Twenty-one year old Alliance Serviceman 1st Class Yuán Xiùlán entered a small, dimly-lit restaurant just a short walk from the old Royal International Hotel on Xiuchuan Road in Shanghai. She had a few hours to kill until she needed to board the Alliance shuttle headed for Earth orbit; from orbit it would make a short, near-light speed jump to Luna Base, where she would begin an intense eighteen-month training program.

Taking a seat at the counter, she ordered shredded fish with snow cabbage in noodle soup and a glass of Xinjiang Black Beer to wash it all down. She hoped she wouldn't regret her choice of cuisine during the upcoming short trip, but dammit, she was going to have one last meal from her homeland before she left, particularly since she hadn't a clue when she'd be able to return.

A waitress brought the glass of beer, telling her the soup would be right out as she set the glass down. "Nǐ kàn qǐlái yǒudiǎn niánqīngle, hē píjiǔ," [你看起來有點年輕了，喝啤酒 _\- You look a bit young to be drinking beer_] she commented. "Méishénme dàbùliǎo de," waving a hand at her freshly cleaned and pressed uniform. "Nǐ shì lǎo dé zúyǐ fúwù yú hǎijūn, nǐ kěyǐ xiǎngshòu yībēi píjiǔ." [沒什麼大不了的。你是老得足以服務於海軍，你可以享受一杯啤酒 _\- No big deal. You're old enough to serve in the Navy, you can enjoy a [one] glass of beer._]

"Xièxiè," Xiùlán replied with a smile. "Wǒ yào qù yuèqiú. Wǒ bù zhīdào duōjiǔ. Wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng cóng wǒ de guójiā yì xiē shíwù zài wǒ líkāi zhīqián." [謝謝。我要去月球。我不知道多久。我只是想從我的國家一些食物在我離開之前。_\- Thank you. I am going to the moon. I do not know for how long. I just wanted some food from my country before I leave._]

She took a long pull from the glass, savoring its full-bodied taste as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat. Leaving Shanghai was going to be tough. It was the only home she had ever known until enlisting in the Alliance Navy on her eighteenth birthday. Her goal since going through basic training in Vancouver was to become captain of an Alliance starship; the intervening two years had been spent filled with classes learning everything she could about starship operation, including piloting, navigation, propulsion theory, personnel and resource management, along with practical demonstrations of her knowledge and skills.

She had also spent three miserably grueling months undergoing hostile environment assault training at Fort Charles Upham on Titan, where she had been proficient enough to earn a ribbon for unarmed hand-to-hand combat and one for excellence as a sniper. She had her mother to thank for her hand-to-hand skills…Mom was a master instructor in Chinese martial arts, having been her daughter's instructor since she was four or five years old.

The waitress brought her soup, set it down in front of her with a small bow and left so she could enjoy her meal. She hadn't realized how hungry she really was until the steaming bowl was sitting in front of her. She began eating, pausing only long enough after several bites of most excellent fish and cabbage to take a sip of beer or a bite from the sweet roll on the side.

The waitress returned as she was finishing the last bite of fish. "Rúhé wèi nǐ de tāng?" she asked. [ 如何為你的湯？_\- How was your soup?_]

"Most excellent," was Xiùlán's enthusiastic response. "Zuì yōuxiù de! Duōshǎo qián wǒ qiàn de fàn ma?" [最優秀的！多少錢我欠的飯嗎？- _Most excellent! How much money do I owe for the meal?_]

"Èrshí xuéfēn, qǐng. Píjiǔ shì yīgè lǐwù," came the cheery response. [二十學分，請。啤酒是一個禮物。_\- Twenty credits, please. The beer is a gift._]

Xiùlán smiled as she activated her omni-tool, entered the restaurant's ID code, the waitress's name and the credit amount (including a generous tip), then used her thumbprint to authenticate the transaction and closed her tool.

The transaction screen behind the counter illuminated for the waitress to inspect; her smile grew wider as she said, "Fēicháng gǎnxiè. Qǐng chóngxīn dēnglù, dāng nǐ zài zhège chéngshì!" [非常感謝。請重新登陸，當你在這個城市！_\- Thank you very much. Please re-visit when you are in this city!_]

Xiùlán nodded as she said, "Xièxiè." then got up and went out into the cool, drizzling night. She still had a bit of time left, but decided to summon a taxi for the short trip to Pudong Airport, which had added a shuttle terminal fifteen years ago. The aircar arrived within a few minutes; grateful to be out of the rain, she entered her destination in the trip computer, paid the bill and settled in the back, alone with her thoughts. Her personal effects had been sent direct from the hotel and should already be in the Alliance holding area.

She was about to enter an experimental Alliance program, one that promised to transform her into a skilled operative in what had only been referred to as 'Black Ops'. It sounded interesting, and she hoped the knowledge and experience gained would be a 'plus' in her service record. She had committed to the whole program… eighteen months split between two Alliance marine bases. She also hoped to make some new friends during her time in the program.

Her father had been against it from the beginning. He had always expected her to follow in his footsteps, into a life on Earth as an accountant. Always a need for someone good with spreadsheets, even if all that meant these days was setting up the formulas in the boxes and watching the computer make all the calculations…no need for an abacus any more. Xiùlán's mother was not totally thrilled about her traveling around in space, but realized her daughter was her own person. She had learned all her lessons, excelled in every school she entered, and she could defend herself against attack. Still, her mom always had some fear in the back of her mind the Alliance military would not take good care of her.

Her musings were interrupted as the aircar slowed and descended in a curving approach to the Alliance dominated shuttle area; it came to a halt a quarter-meter from the pavement and waited for Xiùlán to leave. Once she was clear, the access panels closed; the vehicle spun on its axis and flew back out on the same path it had used to enter. She strode past several parked shuttles towards what appeared to be the terminal building; entering through the main doors, she moved to the information kiosk, coming to attention as she stopped in front of the operations chief behind the counter. "Serviceman 1st Class Yuán Xiùlán reporting for transport."

The chief looked at her with the jaded gaze of a man who'd been in the military so long there was nothing he had _not_ seen. "Travel orders?" he asked.

Xiùlán had a copy of the original papers, which she handed to the bored operations chief. Glancing up at the chronometer on the wall behind her, he grabbed a datapad and scrolled through several 'pages' until he found the confirmation code that matched her orders. "Date of birth?" he asked.

"57/08/15," she answered, enunciating each number individually, then added before he could prompt her, "Service number 8257-Papa-Victor-Golf-09186."

He set the datapad over the blank corner of her paper and keyed in his own ID; this resulted in the datapad 'stamping' the paper, actually laser engraving it, with that code.

"Okay, flight is ready for liftoff," he said. Using his thumb to indicate a door behind and to his left, he continued, "Flight line is through there. Your gear's already on board. Good luck, Serviceman. Safe flight."

"Thanks, Chief." Xiùlán grabbed her papers, quickly walked through the indicated door and made her way to the waiting shuttle. Two other people had just entered ahead of her when she reached the hatch. Handing her travel orders to the lieutenant standing beside the UT-47, she waited for him to look them over; as he handed them back, she came to attention and saluted.

Returning her salute, he asked, "First time off world, Yuán?"

'_Jīngrén! He actually knows my family name comes before my given name!_ ' she thought, then replied, "No Sir. Spent time on Titan after basic. Thought I'd been transferred to hell, actually."

He chuckled, nodding his head as he responded with, "You have my deepest sympathies. I went through that hell myself. Major Violitiran still in charge?"

"Major Sathegz Violitiran…I expect he is _still_ there, Lieutenant. I haven't met that many turians, but he certainly is _not_ the best example of turian friendliness and good will I've encountered. He always felt the Council betrayed the turians by intervening in the Relay 314 Incident, and spent every waking hour taking it out on every human within talons reach."

"Sounds like time hasn't mellowed him. Real shame. He has a hellova lot of knowledge regarding survival under brutal environmental conditions. Hope you at least managed a passing grade."

"I did," Xiùlán said, then smiled at the memory. "Surprised the old bird…he couldn't think of a valid excuse _not_ to pass me. Told me so himself."

"Good for you," the lieutenant responded with a grin. "Hope you do as well in whatever program you're headed for."

"Thank you, Sir." She saluted, then turned and entered the darkened shuttle. There was one empty seat on the back row, left center. She nodded to the young marine on one side and the woman in blues on the other as she took the empty seat. Other than slightly repositioning themselves as she sat down, they did not acknowledge her presence; fine with her…she didn't feel like making small-talk on this trip. Placing her hands palms up on top of her legs, she touched second finger to thumb on each and closed her eyes, intending to meditate for the next hour or so.

She heard the pilot enter, close the hatch and sit in the forward control area. She could hear him talking as he began powering up systems: inertial dampeners, navicomputers, turbo-fuel pumps, environmental pumps and impellers, ME generator…"Alliance control, shuttle flight golf-sierra zero-niner-two-five, ready for departure."

"_Sierra two-five, Alliance control: cleared for departure per flight plan. Squawk four-six-eight-two-two. Contact departure control at flight level three-zero-four-eight to confirm vector and velocity for orbital insertion_."

"Sierra two-five cleared for departure, squawk four-six-eight-two-two, contact departure at flight level three-zero-four-eight, acknowledged."

Xiùlán felt the decrease in the shuttle's mass as she heard and felt the four ventral thrusters light up, lifting the shuttle from the ground. The pilot rotated the forward engine pods downwards, firing them to tip the nose up as he lit the stern thrusters to maintain their relative position. Increasing the ME field, he brought the nose up further, pushed the stern-mounted thrusters to full power and sent the shuttle skywards.

* * *

*** YEAR 2178 CE, DECEMBER • EARTH, NORTH AMERICA, CITY of VANCOUVER, B.C. ***

Twenty-year old Alliance Serviceman 3rd Class Samantha Traynor opened the door and stepped into the vestibule of 'The Farmer's Market' bar and grille. She had a few hours to kill until needing to catch the Alliance shuttle headed for Earth orbit; from orbit it would make a short, near-light-speed jump to Luna Base, where she would begin an intense eighteen-month training program. She removed her shouldered pack and took her overcoat off, which she shook a bit in order to remove some of the water droplets deposited by the light, steady drizzle falling from the mottled grey overcast. The weather outside reminded her of Oxford, where she'd spent the past four years studying physics, mathematics and computer science.

She had picked this tiny place because it was within walking distance of the Sunshine Inn (an ironic name to be sure, or maybe the original proprietor had been indulging in wishful thinking) where she had spent the past evening. Observing a sign reading, 'PLEASE BE SEATED', she grabbed her pack and ventured into the small dining area, easing past the few people having an early breakfast, to an empty table in the rear corner of the room. A young man, thin face scarred by acne, approached with a menu, which he laid on the table as he asked, "Would you like some water?"

"Actually, I'd like a cup of tea, please." He nodded and left her to peruse the menu.

While she waited she opened her omni-tool and browsed the extranet. There was some news regarding Alliance efforts to eliminate the pirates based on the moon of Torfan. One of the articles ran under the headline, '_Butcher of Torfan or Alliance Hero? _', being an account of a young Alliance Navy lieutenant's actions on that moon and her single-minded efforts to eliminate every batarian there; there were interviews of Alliance personnel and from the very few batarian survivors.

The young man returned within five minutes and set a cup in a saucer on the table, along with a small porcelain teapot emitting a tantalizing scent of freshly brewed tea. "Ready to order?"

"Yes. I'd like a three-egg cheddar cheese omelet with hash browns and toast, plus a side of bacon," she replied as she poured the steaming beverage into her cup.

He smiled as he retrieved the menu and said, "Be back shortly."

Returning to the news article, she could see that the batarians were predictably united in their condemnation of the young lieutenant's actions, claiming she had even killed people that had surrendered. The few Alliance personnel interviewed all expressed skepticism at the batarian's allegations of wholesale slaughter by one person, and also noted that the lieutenant's entire unit had been almost entirely wiped out. One of the Alliance brass mentioned the young lieutenant's family had been murdered by pirates during a raid on her home colony of Mindoir. The only interview Samantha did not see was from the subject of the article. Apparently, asking her opinion might have lent some balance to an article totally biased in favor of the batarian 'victims', even though every last one of them had been a pirate.

The young man brought her breakfast and carefully set a large platter in front of her as she closed her omni with a sigh. "Would you like me to bring anything else, ma'am?"

"A bottle of ketchup?" she asked. The omelet looked and smelled wonderful. She slathered butter on one piece of toast, took a bite and followed it with a forkful of eggs and cheese. Delicious! Her waiter brought the ketchup, which she applied generously to the perfectly done, golden and crispy hash browns. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the food was sitting in front of her. Taking a sip from her tea cup, she continued to transfer the food from her plate to her stomach, until there was only a few crumbs left.

The young man reappeared as she was finishing the last of her tea. "Was everything okay?"

"Wonderful," she replied. "I probably won't need anything to eat until dinnertime. How much do I owe you?"

She was handed a tablet with the itemized bill displayed and totaled; she opened her omni-tool, entered a secure transfer of credits to the restaurant, along with a gratuity for the young server, then closed her omni and returned the tablet. "Thank you. Stay dry…it's supposed to be like this all day," he said as he waved in the general direction of the front door.

Traynor shrugged her overcoat on and shouldered her pack; she pulled the hood over her head as she stepped into the misty drizzle of a Vancouver morning. The Alliance flight field, itself on the site of an old hovercraft base, was just south of the old international airport on Sea Island. Her personal effects had been sent direct from the hotel and should already be in the Alliance holding area.

The field was too far to walk from her current location; she opened her omni-tool and summoned an air taxi, which arrived within five minutes. Once she entered her destination and payment, the vehicle lifted and began moving as soon as she was inside with the hatch closed.

As the air taxi arced up and over the FraserRiver delta on its northward trajectory, Samantha thought about the weeks she had spent in Alliance basic training. The physical conditioning had not been as tough as many had led her to believe, but neither was it a 'walk in the park'. During her fitness training, her instructors discovered she possessed a real talent for close in hand-to-hand combat…she just needed an instructor willing to mold her into a human weapon. She'd impressed another instructor on the gunnery range with her skills for accurately firing high-powered sniper rifles and heavy pistols.

There was also time spent learning the basics of quantum communications, with much more to learn…hell, she'd barely scratched the surface of what she needed to know to be a competent… no, _more_ than competent… communications, intelligence and operations specialist. The ever so slight jolt through the chassis as the air car touched down interrupted her reverie. Grabbing her pack, she stepped out into the cool, damp Vancouver morning.

A Marine corporal greeted her at the gate as the air taxi lifted, pivoted and climbed away from the field. "I.D., please," he requested.

Traynor held her Alliance issued badge out for his inspection, which he scanned through his omni-tool; it trilled once, indicating approval. "Okay Ma'am, you're good to go. Follow the orange paint line into the building and check in with the chief. She'll direct you to your departure gate."

"Thanks Corporal." She retrieved her badge and walked the orange line past several parked shuttlecraft into the squat, featureless building. Entering through the main door, she walked up to the service chief behind the counter and held out her badge and travel orders. "Serviceman 3rd Class Samantha Traynor reporting for transport."

Service Chief Jaclyn Walsh looked up from her terminal and held out her hand. "How's it going, Traynor?" Walsh took the orders and badge; placing the badge under the optical reader beside her terminal, she compared the results with the info she'd called up on the terminal. "Service number and DOB?"

"8256-DH-7968, 58/03/21, Ma'am," Traynor responded.

Chief Walsh made several additional entries to the information form displayed in front of her; she paused for a moment, then continued after a prompting tone from the terminal. "Okay," She held up her paperwork and badge. "Here's your ID and travel orders. Your ride is through that passage…," here she indicated a hallway to her left, "…lift off in seventy-three minutes. The rest of your gear is already loaded. Good luck, Serviceman Traynor. Have a safe flight"

"Thanks, Chief," Traynor replied as she took her travel orders and badge. Reshouldering her pack, she turned to her right and entered the short hallway leading to the flightline. Taking a quick look outside when she reached the end of the passageway, …'_umph. Still drizzling..._,' she peeked through the door beside her and discovered what appeared to be a rather small lounge area, devoid of life. She decided to stay dry by waiting in there for half-an-hour or so.

* * *

*** ALLIANCE LUNA BASE • ARRIVAL AREA ***

Xiùlán claimed her gear bags in the reception area as she looked up at the status display. She found her name near the bottom of the list of incoming trainees, along with her room assignment. Entering the information into her omni-tool resulted in a displayed schematic of the facility with a highlighted path to her assigned quarters. She looked around behind her and found the entrance to the hallway; picking up her gear, she started to turn, only to collide with another trainee walking in the opposite direction while looking over her shoulder.

"I am so sorry," Xiùlán stammered as she helped the trainee to her feet. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Totally my fault, Serviceman…?" the trainee started to explain. "Sorry, my name is Traynor… Serviceman 3rd Class Samantha Traynor."

"Yuán Xiùlán…Serviceman First Class," Xiùlán said, offering her hand and smiling.

"Xiùlán? Chinese? Then that's your given name, right?...family name Yuán?" Samantha asked.

"Most occidental people are not aware of that…Samantha; fewer still can correctly pronounce my name. You honor me," Xiùlán replied with a bow.

"Spent a summer in Shanghai my second year of college…picked up a few words, learned my way around a bit. My friends call me 'Sam'," she replied with a smile and bow of her own.

"Shanghai's my home. Am I a friend, then…Sam? Just like that?" Xiùlán asked.

"I like you, Yuán Xiùlán," Traynor replied with a shy smile. "Let's get together for…lunch…? dinner? See you soon." With that, she shouldered her pack, turned on her heel and headed for her quarters.

As Xiùlán watched Traynor stride away, she had a hunch the young woman would soon become an important part…an integral part…of her future in the Alliance. Picking up her own gear, she walked to her quarters as she thought about the seemingly random encounter.

* * *

*** LIVE FIRE TRAINING COURSE CHARLIE-SEVEN ***  
* 0940 - 1305 *

Yuán didn't think her body could hurt any more after the previous day's training session. Her legs felt leaden, her lower back was on fire, her arms were numb. Yet here she was, running and dodging live-fire (low-impact ammo, to be sure, but still enough to cause injuries). Today's objective was to take out a sniper's nest somewhere in the area ahead. Complicating the exercise? Another recruit would also be attempting to neutralize the hidden sniper; whomever got there first would then have to defend themself from the other recruit.

Moving from one bit of miserably insubstantial cover to the next, she continued to gain ground until she stopped behind an outcropping a bit bigger than those she'd been ducking behind previously. Her back hard against the rough surface, she resorted to an ancient observation technique… pulling a small mirror mounted on a telescopic shaft from her pack, she used it to peek past her cover. She saw the laser targeting beam a split-second before the mirror was sent flying from her hand by a minute piece of metal traveling at a small fraction of light speed. '_Gǒu shǐ! Zhè shānghàile! _she thought as she grabbed her wrist. '_Hǎo dōngxī, zhè bùshì wǒ de tóu zài nàlǐ! _[狗屎！這傷害了！- Shit! That hurts! 好東西，這不是我的頭在那裡！ - Good thing that wasn't my head out there!]

A quick inspection confirmed her gauntlet had taken the hit. A puncture to her suit would be a potentially fatal error, not to mention a DNC for today's session. Reaching around to the belt over her shoulder, she grabbed one of her Mark 14 grenades, a high explosive device that she hoped would distract the unseen sniper long enough for her to gain a bit more ground. She armed it, then backed away from her cover and threw the device past the outcropping on its right side.

The lighter lunar gravity helped loft it several meters further than she could have otherwise achieved; she began moving towards her left as she remotely detonated the Mark 14. The blast lit the terrain in an impressive manner, resulting in several shots fired just to the right of where she'd been hiding. Staying low, she ran to a larger outcropping sixteen or so meters distant.

From this new vantage point she had a clear view of the opening in the rocks from which the hidden sniper was firing. Yuán could not see the sniper or rifle from this location, but expected the unseen shooter was scanning the area around her with a motion detector. She armed another Mark 14, again setting it for remote detonation. Moving to her left to keep as much of the rock face as possible between herself and the shooter, she stood, stepped to her right and threw the grenade in one smooth movement, then stepped back to her left a split-second before the bullet whizzed past her right side. The grenade flew in an arc towards the breach in the rock face; she detonated it just as it dropped into the opening. The explosion was accompanied by the high-pitched squeal of several hundred thousand credits worth of Alliance VI tech being shredded into scrap.

Xiùlán carefully moved towards the smoking aperture, crouching and staying in cover. Once under the opening, she rechecked that her hardsuit computer was still recording everything she heard and saw, then raised her omni-tool in camera mode to risk a quick look inside. Seeing nothing but smoke and scrap metal, she pulled her shotgun, set her camouflage generator to 100% and jumped into the recess. Visually confirming there were no other targets, Xiùlán turned back towards the opening only to be kicked backwards half a meter and to the ground by a bullet hitting her square in the center of her ceramic chest plate. Two more rounds zipped past overhead as she lay on her back, gasping for breath as she attempted to regain control of her diaphragm. '_Xī, Xiùlán, Xī!' _She rolled over and got to her hands and knees as a mocking voice came over her comlink.

"_Hey Chop Stick! How's yer chest feel? Ya gonna need me to massage yer tits?_" followed by a braying laugh that sounded like a donkey.

'_Gǒu shǐ! Zhēn de ma? Zài 44 shìjì de wǒ bèihòu de wénmíng, zhè jiùshì wǒ? Yīgè tā mā de kuàizi!?' _[狗屎！真的嗎？在我身後的44世紀的文明，這是我嗎？一個他媽的筷子 - Dog feces! Really? In the 44 century civilization behind me, this is me? A fucking chopstick(s)!?] She replied over the comm, "In your dreams, asshole!" Xiùlán recognized the owner of the voice, a self-righteous, bigoted, alien hating human from the lower mid-west section of the North American continent. Joesiar went out of his way to put down and verbally abuse anyone that looked a bit different; female recruits were especially targeted for insults, belittling and sexual innuendo. Unfortunately for everyone on the receiving end, Joesiar never seemed to get caught. Rumor was he had an uncle high up in the chain of Alliance brass.

She used her omni-tool to plot the trajectories back to their source. Joesiar was still out there, probably in the same spot, waiting for her to show herself. Lazy bastard had parked himself in good cover and waited for her to take out the sniper. She had only a heavy pistol and a shotgun; neither would accurately reach him from here. Finally able to breathe normally, Xiùlán checked her chest plate…the round that hit her was a low-power non-enhanced alloy pellet. No damage to the plate, but she knew she'd have an ugly purple bruise in the middle of her chest by tonight. She glanced around at the wreckage caused by her grenade and spotted it…the sniper rifle being used by the VI she'd destroyed. She crawled over to it, picked it up, '_Gǒu niáng yǎng de zhòng dá yī dūn!'_ [狗娘養的重達一噸 - Son of a bitch weighs a tonne!] and inspected it, sighting down the barrel and checking the targeting computer in the receiver; amazingly, it appeared totally undamaged, and still had a good heat-sink.

Moving to the extreme left side of the opening, she risked a quick look around the protective rock wall. Her reward was a flash as Joesiar fired his rifle; the round whizzed past and smacked the wall behind her. It was going to take a bit of subterfuge to get out of _this_ hole. She plotted the last round back to its source…all had originated from the same location, some 450 meters distant. She pulled the rifle's logic board and plugged it into her omni-tool, reset the location for the rifle's auto-aim function, then replaced the board in its receptacle on the gun. Now for the tricky part. Staying below the opening, she carefully hefted the long gun up and rested the barrel on the edge of the opening, pointing it as close as she could guess at the spot where Joesiar was hiding.

_"Hey Chop Stick! Ya give up yet? I can keep yer yeller ass pinned in there rest of the day!"_ He emphasized his point with another round, which hit the back wall in virtually the same spot as all the rest.

The instant his round hit she fired the long gun, then moving smoothly, she whirled about, placed the cheek of her helmet hard against the receiver, sighted down the barrel, fired a second round and ducked all in one rapid motion. The resulting howl of pain in her com sounded genuine, so she risked a quick look over the edge. Joesiar had broke cover and was dancing around (actually jumping about in the low gravity) as he held his right shoulder with his left hand. Xiùlán decided to teach the bastard a real lesson; she sighted down the barrel of the long gun, exhaled softly and fired, hitting him in the calf of his right leg as he danced around; he hollered anew as he dropped like a stone. _"Dammit, Chop Stick! Now yer jus' playen' dirty!"_

Xiùlán leaped out of the hole in the rock wall; carrying the heavy long gun in her left hand, she pulled her heavy pistol while trotting the 450 meters to Joesiar's location. Despite the low gravity of the lunar surface, it took her close to a minute to reach him where he lay in the dirt. Sticking the pistol's barrel against his faceplate, she hissed, "Chop Stick? _Really?_Just for your information, my ass is _not_ yellow, not that I'm going to prove it by showing it to the likes of you!"

"Com'on, _You ann_. 'Chop stick' is easier to pronounce than yer name," Joesiar whined. "Gimme a hand here, will ya? My suit's leaking. How in 'ell didja get your hands on a long gun, anyways?"

She pulled a repair kit from a utility pocket on her thigh. "It belonged to the VI that was firing at me. I didn't notice you taking any fire…hiding here until someone else got the job done for you, huh? Typical. Nǐ shì yīgè lǎnduò de húndàn, Joesiar [你是一個懶惰的混蛋 _\- You are a lazy bastard Joesiar_]…too lazy to learn how to pronounce my name correctly! Just say 'shoo-lan'…it's my given name. Yuán is my family name, gǒu shǐ yīyàng de tóunǎo." [狗屎一樣的頭腦 _\- dog feces for brains_]

"Ya see, there y'all go again, speaking chinee on me," he complained. "What in 'ell did you just call me, Chop stick?"

"Gǒu shǐ yīyàng de tóunǎo? That's '_dog shit for brains _'. Sounds meaner in Mandarin, don't it? Now hold still so I can fix this hole." Joesiar stopped moving about; more importantly, he quit talking. Yuán patched the puncture in the leg of his suit, then pushed him over to take a look at his shoulder. "No hole here…your lucky day. Bet that shoulder will need some therapy when you get back to the barracks."

"Least I won't have a big ol' purple bruise 'tween my tits in the morning," he smirked. "On you, it'll probably be closer to a hideous green, since blue and yeller make green, right?" The braying of a donkey back on Earth had nothing on the sounds coming out of Joesiar.

Xiùlán picked up his weapons and said, "We're done here, Joesiar. Head back to the barracks. And just so you know, I _will_ be reporting you for your ethnic slurs and misogynistic attitude."

"It'll be yer word against mine, _chinker _bell," he sneered, "and I bet your fuckin' word ain't gonna buy you shit."

Xiùlán put a boot on his shoulder and added a bit of weight, prompting him to start thrashing and hollering in pain. "I have our conversations recorded, Joesiar, right down to your last comment about me," she said in a voice full of menace. "Your Alliance career is done. Brass has no tolerance for racial bigots. Neither do I." Lifting her foot, she finished with, "Now get your miserable little ass up and move while you still can." She waited until he got to his feet and started limping towards the shelters before following after him. It was going to be a long walk, and she hurt all over.

* * *

*** RECRUIT BARRACKS, FEMALE • 1645 - 1830 ***

Xiùlán thanked the medic as she pulled a short-sleeved sweatshirt over her bare torso. He'd inspected the impact site on her chest and found nothing amiss under the skin - just some deep bruising right over the bottom of her sternum, which explained why she'd had the wind knocked out of her so badly. The visible bruise had become a real beauty, centered below her breasts; it still hurt to take a deep breath; the medic had given her seven days off from physically demanding training; classroom time would give her a chance to heal.

She returned to her room, thinking nothing was more inviting than to lie down in her bed for a bit, but decided to hit the showers first, let some warm water wash away a bit of the aching tiredness she felt. She got undressed, put on a short silk robe (a present from her mom) and slipped on a pair of 'shower sandals'. Grabbing a wash cloth, a couple of large towels, shampoo and body wash, she removed the leather tie keeping her long hair in a pony tail, then left for the women's lav.

The lavatory was laid out in a standard pattern: an interior partition was mounted just inside the door, blocking the view straight into the dressing/shower area on the right and the toilets on the left. There were wire mesh lockers set just outside the showers, along with basins and mirrors and a low bench on which to sit for dressing or undressing. Xiùlán chose an empty locker, pulled off her robe and hung it and her towels within. Taking her washcloth, body wash and shampoo into the shower, she took no real notice of the tanned recruit with outstretched arms, palms on the wall in front of her as she stood motionless under a showerhead, doing exactly what Xiùlán had come here to do. Another recruit, just finishing her shower, told the tanned recruit she was leaving. "Bye, Heather," came the response. Heather nodded to Xiùlán as she walked out towards the locker area.

Turning on the water next to her unknown companion, she adjusted the temperature to 'very warm' and slipped into the stream cascading from the 'waterfall' shower head. Ducking her head into the water, she allowed it to completely soak her hair. Grabbing the length right behind her neck, she pulled it around over her left shoulder and began applying shampoo as she enjoyed the spray of water on her back.

"Don't think I've ever seen _anyone_ with hair that long," came a vaguely familiar voice. "Must take a lot of effort to keep it lookin' so pretty.

Xiùlán glanced to the right at the young woman as she continued working the shampoo into her hair. "Alliance doesn't require it to be short. Worn it long all my life," she responded, mentally preparing for the argument she felt sure was about to ensue.

"It's beautiful. I wouldn't cut it either," came the voice, then, "Xiùlán? Is that…it _is_ you! Xiùlán! I'm so happy to see…well, you…um, all of you, as it turns out."

Xiùlán looked at the young woman again…really looked at her. Beautiful complexion, dark all over like a deep tan, only no light colored skin on her boobs or butt. It finally dawned on her where she'd seen this woman before. "Traynor? Samantha Traynor? Damn, I didn't recognize you…only seeing your face once, it never dawned on me you were so…so…"

"…brown all over?" Sam finished for her. "My mum's from India…Pop's a Brit…er, British. Got my mum's skin tone, my Pop's 'tude. Bad combination, I'm told." Sam ducked back under the shower to rinse her hair and torso of shampoo and soap.

"I wouldn't call it 'brown'…more like a warm olive. As for me, I've been told I have a yellow ass." Twisting her backside towards Traynor, Xiùlán asked with a grin, "See any yellow back there?"

_'Damn! That's a really sweet ass!_' Traynor thought as she answered, "Nope. Lighter than mine, but certainly not yellow. Same color as the rest of you, actually. Who said you have a yellow ass? Wait, wouldn't be a sawed-off little bastard with pale-blue eyes, would it? Joesiar!?"

"The very same," came the reply. Xiùlán had finished lathering her hair; flipping it around behind her, she turned back around to face Traynor as she applied her jasmine-scented body wash and began soaping herself. She gingerly washed her chest and said, 'This is a present…" she lifted her breasts upwards with her forearm while gently washing the spreading bruise, "…from the miserable little prick. Hit my ceramic plate with a sniper round during live-fire… knocked the wind outa me, put me on my back for a few. Offered to massage my tits for me…as if!" she finished with a smirk.

Traynor whistled in appreciation. "That's a serious bruise, Xiùlán. Must be sore."_ 'I'd be happy to massage you chest anytime'_ came the unbidden thought. _'Shit, Traynor. Quit thinking about that! She's probably straight_.' "Have you seen the doc?"

Xiùlán was bent over; she washed her legs and feet before finishing by gently washing up between her legs. "Just a while ago," came the answer. "He says there's no hidden damage, but I'll be doing classroom work for the next week or so. It'll give me time to file a complaint with the AG's office." She stood and rinsed her body front and back, then grabbed her hair and rinsed it thoroughly by encircling it with her fingers and running them down the length of it several times. When all the soap was gone, she turned the water off with a sigh, grabbed her stuff and walked over to her locker for a towel.

Traynor followed suit, drying herself while standing beside Xiùlán as she toweled herself off.

"You seriously think you can win against Joesiar?" Traynor asked. "He has protection…friends in high places. I know…I've complained about him myself. He's a damned little racist. 'If it ain't white, it ain't right' is his motto. Thinks I should be back on my colony world, working in the fields, milking cows, making babies for some farmer." Her expression had changed to one of intense dislike, her dark eyes smoldering with barely contained hatred.

Xiùlán studied Traynor for a minute as she finished toweling off and began using the second towel for her hair. "Where are you from, Samantha?"

"Horizon, Iera System. And it's Sam to you…or maybe…" she added with that shy smile Xiùlán had seen when they first met, "…Sammy. Anyway, Horizon…beautiful world. Parents used to live in London back on Earth, but prefer life on a colony world…fewer restrictions. That's where I was born." She wrapped the towel around her shoulders and sat on the bench.

"Sounds like you don't want to get married or have any children…?" Xiùlán stood, grabbed her robe, shrugged into its silken embrace then pulled her hair out from under, spreading it with her hands to fall across the back of her robe.

"Children? Not interested, at least, not in the traditional way. Marriage? I'd like that, I think, if I could find the right…," she looked straight into Xiùlán's eyes, as if challenging her, "…woman. I'm a lesbian, Xiùlán. Not something I share with just anyone…only people I trust…people I'm comfortable with…like you."_ 'Shit! You're in for the whole shootin' match now, Traynor!' _Her eyes anxiously searched Xiùlán's face for…what? Disgust? Rejection?

Xiùlán looked at Sam as if seeing her for the first time. "Samantha…Sam. Just so I understand, you…," she paused as she sat on the bench next to Traynor. "...you saying you're interested in…me…as a partner?"

"I'm sorry, Xiùlán. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, to…" fingertips gently touched her lips, interrupting her apologies.

"I am…flattered, Sam. I never thought of you…in…_that_ way." Xiùlán stood and grabbed Sam's robe from her locker. Motioning for her to stand, Xiùlán slid the robe onto her arms from behind, then turned her around with a hand on her shoulder. Sam met her eyes, her expression neutral, waiting to see what Xiùlán would do.

Xiùlán grabbed the collar of Sam's robe with a hand on either side of her neck. "I need to think about this, Miss Traynor. Give me…" she paused as she slid her hands down the collar, gently pulling the terrycloth together as her hands brushed Sam's breasts and stopped at her navel. "…a bit of time to think. I have never given…myself…to anyone, Sam. I'm a virgin…" She reached around Sam's waist and brought the ends of her sash together in front, which she gently tied after overlapping the edges of her robe. "…and certainly never expected anything like this. Give me a bit of time to think." She pulled Sam towards her, kissed her on the forehead, grabbed her towels and bath supplies and left.

* * *

_**A/N:** This story is being told from Yuán Xiùlán's point of view; in **TRANSFORMATION**, the Cartagena Station adventure was told __from Samantha Traynor's viewpoint (__in dream sequence/flashback form) starting with Chapter 20 of that story. My hope is that, once you have read this first chapter, you will continue on to read subsequent chapters. Traynor's schooling in hand-to-hand combat, along with her training in covert intrusion, will be a major part of the narrative, as will the telling of her growing love for Xiùlán. I believe you will enjoy the ride — I have certainly enjoyed creating it!_


	2. Getting to Know You

_There's no debt. There never has been. We are friends_ \- Davis Bunn, _Lion of Babylon_

* * *

*** ALLIANCE LUNA BASE • 79/01/10 *****  
**

Yuán Xiùlán left her morning class with a headache centered at the back of her head, along with a knot between her shoulder blades. She guessed it was a result of late night studying and an empty stomach…her early morning tea and toast was but a distant memory. Once in her quarters, she relieved her bladder before downing a couple of aspirin with a portion of a bottle of water. She had been thinking about Samantha Traynor since their 'collision' on the day of her arrival here, their brief conversation yesterday, and off and on all morning. Remembering Sam's request that they get together for lunch or dinner prompted her to activate her omni-tool; she looked for and found Traynor's extranet address, sent a text note asking Sam to join her for lunch and waited to see if she'd receive a response.

Xiùlán never had an interest in developing a relationship with anyone, male or female, since joining the Alliance, but especially not with a man. The few men she had dated in the past had always…_always_…seemed interested in nothing more than discovering how fast they could remove her shirt and bra before getting into her pants, as if there was not enough blood in their bodies to support their brains higher cognitive functions while simultaneously stiffening their cocks. She counted herself fortunate she'd never needed to say anything more than a firm 'NO!' when any of them _had_ tried to unfasten her top...just _what_ in hell was it _with_ males and their never ending fascination with female breasts?

As there always seemed to be other things needing her attention, be it studies, physical training, or just quiet time to meditate alone, she had virtually quit saying 'yes' to the numerous invitations to dinner, lunch, breakfast, vids or drinks at the various clubs near whichever base at which she happened to be stationed, even when urged on by some of the friends in her unit. She had always found occasional masturbation to be all she needed to keep her libido in check. And now, there was Samantha…Sam…Sammy. Funny. She had never envisioned becoming interested in a woman as anything but a friend. Certainly not a…what?...companion?...`love interest?..., nor had another woman ever expressed any interest in her. Thinking about Sam as something more gave her warm sensations…because she was lonely? A bit of an 'outsider'? Maybe both…?

The tingling on Xiùlán's wrist indicated an incoming text. She opened her omni-tool to find a reply from Sam: _'lookin fwrd to it! On my way…'_ Xiùlán closed the tool, grabbed her shoulder bag and headed for the mess hall.

* * *

*** MESS HALL ***

Xiùlán still had two and a half hours before her afternoon class in 'Advanced Omni-tool Techniques', something that sounded like an easy 'ace'; she suspected it would be anything _but_ easy, as she and her classmates would be receiving new state-of-the-art omni-tools, highly classified new tech from Serrice Council that promised better functionality and security. There was even a rumor the damn things could be turned into weapons with just a thought! Probably just wishful thinking. She had an appointment at the AG's office before class, one reason she'd decided to have lunch early today. She gingerly touched her chest as she walked, wincing as she inadvertently pressed a bit too hard. Thanks to Joesiar, it still hurt like bloody hell to take a deep breath, though not as bad as last night…even hurt to reach over her head to put on a sports bra or shirt.

Visible bruise had spread up and across her chest, so even the bottom edge of her bra was an irritant. She quickly put Joesiar out of her mind; her headache had virtually disappeared…no need for it to return because of _that_ miserable little Hùn zhàng [混帳 - _bastard_].

She entered the student's mess hall, noting its layout and appearance looked all too reminiscent of her secondary school cafeteria back home. She spotted Sam, just taking a seat at a table in a quiet corner of the room. Picking up a tray and utensils, she moved down the food line; it had surprised her to discover Chinese dishes were a regular part of the cuisine here. Xiùlán was not one to waste an opportunity to eat food that reminded her of home…today she chose the Shanghai style stir-fried rice cake. It was made without the pork, but had plenty of cabbage, bamboo shoots, spinach, bean sprouts and carrots, all mixed with a dark soy sauce. She thought '_Zhè kàn shàngqù hào chī!'_ [這看上去好吃！- It looks delicious!] as she added some thick sliced bread and a water bottle, then headed across the room to sit with Sam.

"Hi, Xiùlán! How are you?" Traynor gave Yuán a big smile as she sat down across from her, then asked, "Why not sit beside me?"

"Easier to eat and chat when we're face-to-face," Xiùlán replied. "Salad and soup? Looks tasty."

"Yep. Not sure what you're having, but it smells wonderful. Is that soy sauce?"

"It is…Shanghai style stir-fried rice cake," she replied as she dug a pair of elaborately decorated black lacquered bamboo chop sticks from her shoulder pack.

"Custom chop sticks? Damn, Xiùlán…you came prepared to do battle," Traynor snarked.

Xiùlán returned the grin as she started eating. "Right tools for the job," she snarked right back.

They spent the next twenty-five minutes or so chatting about this and that, leisurely enjoying their food and each other's company in equal parts. Xiùlán finished her rice cake by wiping the plate with the last of her bread and popping it in her mouth. "Gāisǐ de, that was good. Think I can actually hold out until dinner now." Dampening her napkin with water from the bottle, she discretely wiped her chop sticks clean, then returned them to her pack as she continued, "It's nice to have someone to talk to without worrying about 'afterwards', Sam. Haven't had any close friends since basic…stopped accepting invitations from guys for all the obvious reasons."

Traynor nodded as she replied, "I know what you mean. In their defense, if I were a guy, I would be hitting on you for sure, Xiùlán. You are absolutely beautiful."

Xiùlán could feel herself blushing. "Haven't heard that from anyone 'cept my parents, Sam… certainly not from another woman."

"I'm serious, Xiùlán," Samantha said quietly. "I don't pass out complements casually…anyone that cannot see your beauty is simply blind, in my opinion."'_…and your body is to die for!' _came the unbidden thought._ '…there I go again…she said she's still a virgin…loved the way she used her arm, pushing her boobs up to show me her bruised chest…oh, and those legs!…I know they end at her bum, but damn if they don't look like they go all the way to her neck!…shit! shit! shit!…quit dreamin' 'bout her, Sam…you can't have her!'_

Sam's eyes were open, unfocused, but Xiùlán could see they were looking in the direction of her own chest. "Sam!"

Traynor blinked as her thoughts evaporated. "Huh?"

"I _said _ 'we need to go'. I have an appointment before my next class. Don't you have a class as well?

Samantha thought for a second before answering. "Yeah, I have a class in hacking alien comm systems. Got my new omni-tool this morning. Damn thing is really amazing! Dinner later?"

"Of course. We can kick back, have a beer or two." Xiùlán grabbed tray and shoulder pack as she stood. "I'll text you when I'm done with class…ought to be about 1745 or so. Meet at your quarters?"

"Sounds good," Traynor said with a grin. _'…might be able to get to know you better in private.'_

* * *

*** OFFICE OF THE ADVOCATE GENERAL ***

'_Serviceman 1st Class Yuán Xiùlán. Please report to office twenty-two delta.'_ Xiùlán thought, _'Guānyú tā mā de shíjiān!_ [關於他媽的時間！_\- _about fucking time!] _How much more time would I have had to wait _without_ an appointment?'_ as she grabbed her shoulder pack and marched down the hall to the indicated office. A balding man, wearing old-fashioned, gold-rimmed glasses, stood to greet her as she entered. "Serviceman Xiùlán," he said, extending his hand.

"Actually, family name is Yuán…Serviceman Yuán." She grabbed his hand, a pudgy mass of cold, squishy flesh with fat fingers, seemingly devoid of life. _'Wǒ xiànzài yào xǐ wǒ de shǒu!' _[我現在要洗我的手 - I now want to wash my hands] she thought silently.

"Sorry, Ma'am. My mistake." Looking at one of a number of datapads on his desk, he said, "So, you're here to file a complaint about…" he adjusted his glasses as he studied the datapad, "…Serviceman 2nd Class Joesiar, is that correct?"

"Yes Sir. Actually, several complaints."

"All are related to an incident or incidents on live-fire range Charlie-Seven, are they not? I know what the report says, Yuán. Why don't you tell me what happened."

Xiùlán spent the next ten minutes relating Joesiar's racist and misogynist comments and her reactions.

"These are pretty serious charges, Serviceman. What proof do have of these allegations?"

She pulled an OSD from a thigh pocket and set it on the desk. Keeping a fingertip in the middle of the disk, she leaned forward as she said, "This is an audio/vid of the live-fire exercise. It's a copy. There are others, ready to be shipped in unmarked packages, should this one go missing."

"Just what the hell are you suggesting, Serviceman?" The man was getting a bit red in the face.

Xiùlán slipped on her best 'innocent me' look as she replied, "Nothing. I'm suggesting nothing, Sir. However," her voice took on an edge as the innocent mask slipped just a bit; it would have frightened most anyone possessing _any_ common sense. "Serviceman Joesiar has a highly placed uncle…a Major General Bradley Joesiar. It seems the Major General always finds out what trouble his nephew has gotten up to and gets him cleared of whatever charges are brought against him."

The tone of Xiùlán's voice went cold as the 'innocent' mask was instantly exchanged for a chiseled 'takes no effing prisoners' look. "I intend to see that changed. I don't like racists. I don't like misogynists. Joesiar is both. He also hates aliens. The Alliance doesn't need his brand of white human supremacy." Xiùlán produced a datapad of her own. "Now, I need _your_ name and a thumb print on this receipt."

"Now listen here, Serviceman Yuán. I'm not sure I care for your attitude."

"My goddamned 'attitude' is the least of your worries right now, mister. Did I mention I don't like cover-ups? Name and thumb print, or I'm going right on up the brass chain."

'Balding glasses' took a long, hard look at her over the rims of his glasses. Her dark eyes were intent, mouth set in a tight line. He could feel danger radiating from this woman, as if she didn't suffer fools gladly. He sighed as he concluded acceding to her 'request' cost him nothing, nodded once and initialed…, "Legibly, please," she said; …printed and signed his name, placed his thumb on the device and handed it back as he retrieved the OSD and inserted it in the datapad containing the report.

She looked at her own datapad, nodded, said, "Thank you for your time. I'll be in touch," then turned and left. She had just enough time to make her afternoon class.

* * *

*** OMNI-TOOL ORIENTATION CLASS ***

Xiùlán looked in wonder at the new omni-tool she'd just received from the class instructor, an asari tech specialist and Serrice Council representative named Mallene Calis, who spent a good deal of time custom fitting each device to its new owner's arm. Once this task had been completed, Calis cautioned everyone to be sure all the data from their old tools had been backed up on their extranet accounts before activating their new devices; any specialized applications could be done once they were all back in their personal quarters, as new pass codes would need to be generated for each program. Most amazing to Xiùlán was the glow the device gave off when activated…it was virtually invisible in any kind of ambient light. Its true colors, deep purple and ultraviolet, could be seen in a darkened area; controls needing input, text generators for instance, were delineated in glowing reds and orange.

The unique characteristic of these new omni-tools was their ability to be personalized to each individual's biometrics…once this was done, the tool was part of its users identity and could not be used by anyone else; the identity lock became a permanent, unchangeable part of the tool's programming, making it truly the only one of its kind. When not in use, it was a thin, elaborately designed platinum bracelet, sporting a small cabochon of bio-sensitive, red banded onyx used for activation. The new tool would perform all the tasks of a standard omni-tool and could perform a few tasks that would not only make it illegal for a civilian to own but also of questionable value to a soldier. They were strongly cautioned by the asari specialist that it must be worn at all times, during bathing and sleeping…even lovemaking, if it came down to it.

_'Jiù xiàng yǒu duōyú de shíjiān zuò'ài!'_ [就像有多餘的時間做愛！Like there is extra time having sex!] came her snarky thought.

The remainder of their class time was spent learning how to employ its more esoteric functions, including its use as a stealth hacker for initiating remote computer attacks that couldn't be traced back to the tool's location. It seemed they had barely begun to experiment with its hacking ability when their class time came to an end. Mallene Calis thanked everyone for their attention and wished them well.

Yuán approached the asari as she was gathering her equipment. "Mallene, just one question. You never told us how these tools compare to commercially available omni-tools."

Calis looked at Xiùlán with an expression of surprise before responding. "There was a student in the morning class that asked me the same question…anyway, yes, if you are familiar with the Savant line of omni-tools manufactured by my company, these are a step up…a huge step up. Shield bonus is increased by 10, tech cool down is enhanced by 25. I think you'll be quite pleased with these and its other enhanced performance features. Here, let me show you one defensive move I did not share with the group."

Mallene activated her own tool; Xiùlán did likewise. "Hold your arm like this," she demonstrated, bending her arm 90° and bringing her forearm up to chest level parallel to the deck. With a slight twitch of her hand, the tool generated a slimmer and longer version of the newly developed omni-blade, extending backwards from her wrist and out at a 10 degree angle away from her arm. "This can be used for a forehand slash, when an attacker is immediately in front of you," she explained. "Move your forearm in a slicing motion, upper right to lower left." She demonstrated the move in the air in front of her.

"It's also useful for gutting an attacker standing behind you, just as if you were using your elbow for a disabling blow to the diaphragm; the two moves can even be combined against two attackers, particularly if the one to the rear has an arm around your throat."

Xiùlán tried the moves several times and found they fit right in with her martial arts knowledge.

"Very nice. You appear to be a natural, Yuán. There are a few other additional 'blade' mods that can be used with this tool…," Mallene said as she entered several commands into her tool; this resulted in Xiùlán's tool emitting a soft 'trill' as it received data and stored it for later activation. "…which I just sent to you. The mods are available on the extranet, if any of your classmates are interested." Mallene looked intently at Xiùlán. "You appear to be a warrior, Yuán…I don't believe you would be out of place in an asari commando unit."

Xiùlán could not hide her surprise. "Perhaps, if my skin were blue. But I don't think your commando units would be prepared for human hair, or the appearance of my face," this last said with a hint of pride mixed with a touch of defiance. "Besides, I have no biotic abilities. That's one of the reasons I chose to enroll in this program."

"If I may…," she brought he left hand up, placing her open palm beside Xiùlán's face without touching her. "By the goddess, Yuán! Your…aura…is exceptionally strong. I would be surprised if it were discernable by other humans, but asari are more attuned to the mental functions of others, especially the human race. You have a great future ahead of you, Yuán Xiùlán, as a warrior…and a leader. Go in peace." Mallene put her hands together under her chin, palm-to-palm, fingertips up, and bowed slightly in Yuán's direction.

Yuán mirrored the asari's actions and whispered, "Go in peace, Mallene Calis."

* * *

*** SAMANTHA TRAYNOR'S QUARTERS, 1655 HOURS *

Xiùlán walked up to the entry to Traynor's quarters and touched the red-glowing lock in its center, effectively ringing the doorbell. She hadn't received a reply to her dinner request, so decided to deliver a request in person. She waited for several seconds before repeating the request to release the lock. After what seemed like forever, the lock released, changing from red to green.

Xiùlán touched the green circle, opening the door to Samantha's room. With the exception of the illumination cast by the weak overhead light just inside the door, the compartment was dark. "Samantha? Are you in here?"

Traynor responded in a quiet voice, "Come in, Xiùlán." A dim light appeared further in the room, about where Yuán imagined a bed side table would be located. Xiùlán stepped in far enough so the door would auto-close and lock behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of illumination, she could make out the bed, sitting next to the table and lamp.

Someone…Traynor, she guessed…was curled up atop the bed covers with her head resting on one hand…knees drawn up towards her chin, other arm and hand hugging her shins. Xiùlán couldn't keep concern from coloring her voice as she said, "Samantha?…Sam? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"No." The one word response to the latter question was voiced quietly, sadly. She whispered, "Why are people so mean, Xiùlán? What the hell is wrong with me? I go out of my way to not draw attention to myself. There may as well be a big sign on my back saying 'KICK ME' and one on my front saying 'INSULT ME'. I've done nothing…," Her voice caught as she fought back the tears.

Xiùlán kneeled on the floor beside the bed and reached for her hand, only to have it quickly drawn away from her. "Sammy…?"

Traynor found her voice. "Please don't, Xiùlán. I'm worthless. I _should_ go back to Horizon. Nobody there cared…about…my skin color. Here, I'm just a miserable little kuthi" [_Hindi for female dog – a bitch_]

"Samantha Traynor!" '_I need to get this tā mā de chědàn _[他媽的扯淡 _\- _fucking crap]_ under control fast._' "I can guess the name of the miserable little sack of hóuzi jiānguǒ that called you that! You can't possibly be taking _him_ seriously, Sam. You can't!"

Xiùlán wasn't sure what to do, how to proceed. She never had to provide comfort to anyone, having always been the recipient of such in the past.

She rose from her kneeling position, leaned over the unhappy woman and quickly straightened her legs. Sam whimpered as Xiùlán laid down beside her and took her in her arms. "Sammy, you are not worthless to me," Xiùlán whispered in her ear. "You are a special person, Samantha… special, and unique."

Xiùlán hugged her tightly, rubbing her back, stroking her from neck to waist.

Traynor's voice was uncertain. "No one wants me here…do they? You don't want…"

"…don't you even _dare_ presume to know what I want, Samantha Traynor," Xiùlán replied in a harsh whisper. "Don't…you…dare! I don't yet know what we…you and I…will eventually become, Sammy. I find I'm thinking about…well, you, more and more. I certainly will not commit to a relationship with a worthless individual. So, you're not worthless, _are you_?" Xiùlán brought a hand up to Sam's cheek, stroking the smooth skin with her fingertips for a few moments; she moved her head slightly so she could look at Sam in the dim light. Dark eyes studied dark eyes for several seconds before Xiùlán ever so slowly, tenderly, placed her lips on Sam's. The kiss was not planned, hadn't been thought out. It just…happened.

Sam was taken aback for a moment before hungrily returning the kiss, moving her own lips to better meet the pair she had been longing for since arrival day, since seeing this beautiful person's nude body in the shower. She tentatively touched tongue tip to Xiùlán's lips, which parted slightly, seemingly to allow its entrance, only to find the way guarded by the tongue behind those lush, tasty lips. There was a slight battle between them before the stronger of the pair won out…Sam's capitulation was total as she surrendered her mouth to this beautiful Chinese woman.

Xiùlán ended the kiss the same way she started…gently, grasping Sam's lips tenderly with her own, sucking on them one at a time before lovingly releasing them. "You are not worthless to me, Samantha Traynor. I like you. I like you a lot. Come on. It's getting late…time to go have a bite to eat before we arouse each other any further."

* * *

*** SAMANTHA TRAYNOR'S QUARTERS, 2130 HOURS ***

Having dinner together had helped Traynor's mood tremendously. They had talked at some length about Joesiar's attitude towards each of them, along with others in their class, particularly female students. Sam had agreed to talk to Heather, another woman that had become a target of the miserable troll's racist attitude; he had somehow discovered each of her parents were from different racial backgrounds, and the litany of insults and sexually suggestive comments had reached new lows, even for Joesiar. Sam was going to accompany Heather to the AG's office tomorrow to add those complaints (along with more of her own) to his 'jacket'.

They had returned to Sam's apartment for beers and to chat some more before 'lights out' at 2300, where Xiùlán had shown Sam how to employ a mental defense to deal with comments by Joesiar and others of his ilk (of which there were very few on this base, thankfully), a lesson she happily embraced.

Xiùlán had finished her second beer and was seriously thinking about heading back to her own room so she could get to bed. Students spending the night with other students was not prohibited here, but neither was it encouraged. The focus was supposed to be on learning; developing friendships was also important, but within limits. "I should go, Sam. It looks to be a long day tomorrow, and I need some sleep. Don't need another headache like I had before lunch today."

Samantha took a sip from the bottle she'd been nursing since the pair had returned from dinner three hours ago. She had been enthralled as Xiùlán told of her first year as an Alliance recruit. "Awww, sounds as if you were just getting to some truly _good_ stuff," Traynor complained. "You never said…did you have any close friends? Like…_really_ close?"

Xiùlán took note of the mischievous light in Traynor's eyes as she answered in a snarky tone, "Lined up outside my door, every night!"

Traynor laughed as she said, "You know what I mean. _Close_ friends. Boy friends…girl friends? _Friends_?

Xiùlán's grin dissolved into a straight line as she thought back on her weeks in basic and the hell she went through on Titan. "Sammy, look at my face…what do you see?"

"Seriously?" Traynor grinned. "I see an exotically beautiful face, Xiùlán…gorgeous dark brown eyes, lush lips, firm jaw line, a head full of lovely ebony hair that falls to your perfectly formed bum…"

Ignoring Sam's last comment, Xiùlán said sadly, "What I see, staring back at me from the mirror every morning of my life?…the face of a woman that doesn't blend in _anywhere_ I go, Sammy. In my home town?…Shanghai? A face with your features, never mind your permanent tan, is what looks different…what stands out in a crowd. In the Alliance, my features mark me as someone different. You say 'exotic'? What makes me exotic, Sam? 'Cause it's been my experience 'exotic' is just a synonym for 'foreign'."

Traynor's jaw dropped. "Xiùlán, _'foreign'_ is not a word I would use to describe you. To me your looks are quite striking. I love your face!" The thought '_I love you'_ came unbidden.

"I haven't made any close friends since I joined the Alliance, Sam. No friends of any kind, truth be told…

"Xiùlán, please." Traynor didn't like the way this conversation was going. She moved to sit next to her as she asked in an anxious tone, "Am I not a friend, then?"

Xiùlán noted Traynor's worried look, realized what she had just said. "Sorry, Samantha. I wasn't including you in the group of friends I don't have. You're the first person I've met that's taken more than a passing interest in me. I have never met a man that _didn't_ think he was the galaxy's gift to every woman he took an interest in." She set her empty bottle down and rose from her chair. "So tell me, do you really want to be friends with someone like me…," Xiùlán placed her hands on her hips, pulled her shoulders back to accentuate her bosom and grinned mischievously, "…or are you only after my body?"

Traynor grinned as she rose and moved to stand a few centimeters from Xiùlán. "You got me. Guilty as charged, your most stunning honor. I'm only interested in your body…those legs…that cute bum…those perfect boobs. Don't care about _you_ whatsoever. And if you believe that…," Sam had been drawing closer to Xiùlán while she was talking; Xiùlán had not stepped back and their mouths were so close Sam's lips brushed hers as she finished in a husky whisper, "…I have a really neat little patch of swamp land on Horizon I feel certain you'd be interested in." Sam tilted her head as she placed her lips against those of her new friend.

Xiùlán responded by reaching around Sam, drawing her close so she could return her good night kiss. Sam squirmed a bit when Yuán dropped her hands to grab her butt. "And here I thought you just wanted me for my mind," she whispered around Sam's lips. "I suppose you'd like me to take off all my clothes as well?"

'_yes…yes…yes…yes…'_ Sam thought to herself. "You don't have to do that, really," came the snarky response. "I'm perfectly capable of removing your clothes all by myself.

Xiùlán broke her kiss, grabbed Sam's upper arms and pushed her back just a bit. "The more I see you, the more I think about you…want you. I'm just not quite ready, ya know? In my head, I can see us thrashing around in your bed together, right now, enjoying each others…company? But the reality for me, Samantha Traynor, is I want to be sure of what I'm doing, what I'm committing to. I think I may be falling for you, falling hard! Honestly? That really scares the hell out of me. I want to make absolutely sure what I am feeling for you is more than simple lust. Can you see that, Sammy?" Xiùlán looked at her friend with worried concern. "I remember telling you I needed some time to think. I'm still thinking about…us. But I'm not interested in a yīyèqíng [一夜情], Sammy."

"Wait, what? 'yīyèqíng'? I picked up a couple of phrases and words when I stayed in Shanghai, but that's a new one to me."

"Sorry, bad habit…I occasionally lapse into Mandarin out loud, although when I do I'm usually cursing a blue streak. _Yīyèqíng_ is a _one-night stand_. Anyway, if I'm to commit myself to you, Samantha Traynor, I mean for it to last, at least until hell freezes over."

Samantha's face briefly showed disappointment; she began smiling again as she replied, "Xiùlán, I want you, so bad it hurts. That's lust. I have never met _anyone_ like you. Truth is, I think about you any time I have a free moment. There's so much I need to learn here, so much to do. This shit with Joesiar is a major distraction…a problem I hope will go away soon. You are a major distraction as well, but one I do _not_ want gone, unless its into my arms. I'll wait for you to think this through, but you need to know I will continue to be a distraction for you until you make a decision."

"Fair enough, Sam. In the meantime, we need to plan how we're going to eliminate Joesiar from the Alliance. I need some sleep. Let's discuss it at lunch tomorrow."

Traynor grin grew wider. "Can't wait."

* * *

*** 79/01/11 ***

Xiùlán's second day of non-physical classroom work was going well. The soreness in the middle of her chest had diminished greatly; the bruise was actually beginning to fade a bit, even if Joesiar's prophesy (unknown to him, of course) was beginning to come true…the bluish coloration was becoming a hideous shade of greenish-yellow as it started to fade. Initially, she had been rather upset about this, even if her skin color had less to do with the appearance than the physical process of healing. At least the soreness had lessened…good thing, since she was going back into physically demanding training in less than a week.

Classes today were designed to enhance what they had learned yesterday regarding their new omni-tools; instruction time was spent hacking non-networked computers set up for the class. It was delicate work, meant to teach them how to infiltrate software designed to resist the sort of attacks they were performing. The object was to enter the system undetected, alter the programming in whatever way served the mission, then leave the system, all without a trace being left behind. There was a lot of good natured teasing aimed at the less technical minded students…those for whom the programs sounded obnoxious alarms when the intrusion was detected. As the class progressed, the intrusion sensitivity of the programs was ramped up accordingly; by lunch, few people could claim total success at hacking the programs. The class was told only one recruit, in the other class, had been able to hack their way in undetected 100% of the time, no matter how difficult the program appeared to be. Xiùlán would have bet a year's pay she knew the name of that person; hopefully, she'd be able to learn more from the master hacker in the coming weeks.

* * *

*** SAMANTHA TRAYNOR'S QUARTERS, 2030 HOURS ***

"Samantha…Sam, I…," Xiùlán hesitated before asking, "…have you ever slept with…I mean…had sex…with anyone?"

The question caught Traynor completely off guard. "Once, one night in a co-ed dorm at Oxford," she replied in a soft voice. "The girls on my floor knew about…my sexual orientation…took it upon themselves to 'turn' me. Five of them trapped me in the gym locker room…stripped me…pinned my arms and legs…held me down on a bench…had one of their boyfriends…use me, like a piece of meat," her voice caught as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I screamed, I cried. No one would help, no one came. They got done using me…left me there…alone…naked, bleeding, crying. They'd taken my clothes…had to walk back to my dorm room with a towel wrapped around me. I had never…had sex before, Xiùlán! It's supposed to be magical, delightful, memorable. It's not supposed to hurt…not supposed to be scary or humiliating." Tears brought on by the suppressed memories continued to slide down her cheeks.

Xiùlán slid over next to Sam, reaching around her with one arm to hold her, grabbing a hand with her free hand as she said, "Sammy, I'm so sorry." Xiùlán pulled Sam tight to her side, holding her close, trying to sooth her.

Sam had regained some control over her emotions and whispered, "I'm sorry, Xiùlán. I didn't mean to just drop that on you. I've never talked about it, hadn't thought about that time since it happened. Blanked it out of my mind, I guess."

Xiùlán replied softly, "You don't need to feel sorry for anything, Sam. What you experienced… what they did to you? That was not 'having sex', Samantha, understand me? You didn't agree to it, didn't choose to participate. You were raped, plain and simple. You reported this, correct? You _did_ tell the authorities, didn't you?"

Sam looked down, embarrassed. "I didn't…I was afraid…afraid those people would hurt me worse. I went to the doctor, got a 'morning after' drug. She took samples, treated my injuries, told me I'd heal…physically…just fine…referred me to a councilor. None of those women were classmates. I moved out of that dorm, changed to a different building…never saw them again."

_'Mòbùguānxīn de mǔgǒu'_ Yuán thought. "Let me guess, Sam…," Xiùlán placed a hand on Traynor's cheek. "…you don't have any skills in unarmed combat, do you?"

"No," she sniffled, "was never able to take any classes…I was a math, tech and communications major, Xiùlán. I never expected I'd need to fight off an attacker, much less six at once."

_'Jīngrén!' _ "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I will teach you how to defend yourself against any and all comers, Sammy. You will _not_ need a gun for close-in work when I'm done with you. It's knowledge you're going to need."

"My god, Xiùlán, I can't let you do that," Traynor stood up as she protested. "I cannot pay you…"

"…Fù gěi wǒ?" She was incredulous! "Pay…_me_? Sam, I would not dream of…I do not require any payment to train you. It will be a privilege to pass on my knowledge. Now, I have to get back to my quarters…lots of studying to do."

"Anything I can do to help you? Perhaps we can teach _each other_, Xiùlán. I can help you with technical, you can help me with unarmed combat. Deal?"

Xiùlán thought it over for a moment. "Why not? I can use the help. Xīnzhèng, Sammy. See you tomorrow."

* * *

_A/N: If any of you are familiar with _Transformation_ (9663635), particularly the later chapters, this chapter helps one gain some appreciation for Traynor's virtually total lack of unarmed combat skills before meeting Yuán Xiùlán. Now we have to see how this pair takes care of Joesiar. Fav or follow! Reviews are good too!_


	3. Declaration of Love

_I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath._ \- Lisa Kleypas, _Again the Magic_

* * *

*** 2179/01/18 and onward ***

Yuán Xiùlán hadn't had a chance to 'enjoy' Traynor's company in the week since sharing after-dinner beers in her quarters. She had started using their Monday afternoon free time instructing Sam in the basics of _Jing Quan Dao_, [警拳道] or _Way of the Alert Fist,_ a combination of different Chinese martial art styles designed for practical applications, founded in the mid-1990's by Tao Zhong Xian of Shandong Province. Xiùlán had been a bit surprised at how rapidly Traynor was learning the basics of this ancient art form, until Sam told her of the comments made by several of her fitness training instructors during basic training back on Earth and Titan (_you have __a real talent for close in hand-to-hand combat…you just need a knowledgeable instructor willing to take the time needed to mold you into a human weapon_).

For her part, Sam had been spending ninety minutes after dinner each evening tutoring Xiùlán in the technical aspects of their course work, particularly regarding using their new omni-tools for undetectably hacking electronics, checking for hidden recording devices and using the mini-tools, such as micro-plasma cutters.

The pace of the class work had grown relentlessly since arrival, and they generally spent their evenings together, studying until just before lights out so they could keep up with the 'on-your-own-time' work required to maintain their grade standing. Xiùlán appeared to have a real aptitude for the minutiae of hacking comm systems, aided by the excellent Serrice omni-tool; she was even gaining ground on hacking server nodes without leaving a trace of her presence, even learned how to shift the back trace to look like someone else had been infiltrating the system.

They still spent a bit of time talking about how they were going to get Joesiar tossed out of the program _and_ out of the Alliance; fortunately, he wasn't in any of their classes, and the pace of the program had apparently caught up to him as well, since they seldom saw or heard him in the common areas. They all agreed Joesiar needed a civilian job…mopping floors perhaps, or washing windows or cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, emptying garbage…all on an elcor freighter. Samantha had told Xiùlán that taking Heather with her to file a harassment complaint at the AG's office had gone quite well; _'glasses'_, as they now referred to the clerk there, had not wanted to record the complaints of either of them until Traynor told him a certain Chinese woman would be following up on his actions. Sam said she thought he was going to wet himself. Xiùlán had chuckled at this…she could just picture his discomfiture at having been reminded of her visit just two days prior. She just needed to make sure the complaints were actually being filed with Alliance brass.

* * *

*** 2179/02/15 ***

In the month since Xiùlán had started teaching Samantha Traynor the intricacies of _Jing Quan Dao_, Sam had developed an intense dislike for Monday afternoons. Xiùlán had chosen Mondays as the best day of the week to review what she'd been taught so far, and introduce Sam to new things…a new attack, a new avoidance technique, a new exercise for her '_aching arms'_, her '_battered hands'_, her _'sore almost beyond all belief'_ thighs and calves. Sam had accused her…no!…had sworn!…vehemently, that Xiùlán was being a harsh taskmaster, to which Xiùlán always replied she was doing only what _needed_ to be done to ensure Traynor would _never_ have her ass handed to her by some miserable batarian or militaristic turian or a creepy little stunted misogynistic human. Xiùlán insisted she _should_ be able to mop the floor with anyone; she held Joesiar up as a prime example.

The only consolation for Sam was the nearly full-body massage Xiùlán was giving her at this moment. "Ahh-ooohchhhh! Xiùlán, lighten up, you're mmmpppffffhh…killin' me!" Sam squealed as Xiùlán applied some additional pressure to the thigh muscles just below her butt. _'How can this woman's hands be this fuckin' strong?'_ she thought as she cried out, "Shit! Don't!…eeeaaahhhh! Xiùlán, for pity sakes, have a bit of…_fuckin' 'ell!_…mercy!"

"You're being a big baby, Sam. I'm not using any pressure at all…" Xiùlán chided as she used both hands to grab Sam's calf muscles and asked innocently, "…does this hurt?"

"Damn! Hell ye…aaahhh…ssss that really hurts! Sonovabitch, Xiùlán! You were taught these torture techniques in some…eeeaaahhhh!…horribly cold, dark-as-a-tomb prison, weren't chu-ooohhh-ouch! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Let go, damn it!"

"Apologize!" Xiùlán said with a wicked grin. "I didn't learn to do this in a prison! _Apologize_!"

"For what!? Stating the obvious? I mean, Shanghai, right? Ahhhhhhhhh! Shiiiiiit! _Xiùlán!_"

Xiùlán loosened one hand, only to grab Sam's other leg in the middle of her calf. She applied alternating pressure to Sam's legs, squeezing just enough to momentarily hurt.

Sam capitulated. "I apologizzzzzzzeeeeee! I'm sorry! Damn, am I _ever_ sorry."

Xiùlán released Sam's legs, waited for her to roll over onto her back, then leaned over, kissed her on the cheek and said, "I learned it in a dungeon, silly girl. Now don't tell me you didn't enjoy _that_ massage."

"I can think of a couple of other places you can massage, Xiùlán," Traynor replied with an equally devilish grin. Reaching up with both hands, she grabbed her trainer's boobs and said, "I'll even return the favor," as she gently kneaded them through her sports bra. "Wouldn't Joesier be jealous of _me_ right now?"

Xiùlán looked at Sam's nearly nude body for several moments, enjoying the feelings evoked by Sammy's talented hands on her breasts; she reached down with her own hands, gently covering Sam's breasts before sliding her hands down along her ribcage, down to the swell of her hips. Sam whimpered a bit from the dual pleasure of having Xiùlán's breasts in _her_ hands and having her loving hands tenderly caressing _her_. Xiùlán leaned in to kiss Sam, teasing her lips with the tip of her tongue until gaining access to her mouth; Sam returned the kiss, gently at first, then with a bit more passion, until Xiùlán pulled away and stood up.

"Okay, rookie. Time to hit the showers." Holding up a finger to quell the incipient protest, she waited for Sam to sit up before continuing. "I've made up my mind about you, Sammy. I feel…I need you. Not only…" she indicated her own body, "…physically, although I think that would be a real slice of heaven. Wǒ ài nǐ sà màn shā·tè léi nà… [我愛你薩曼莎·特雷納 - _I love you Samantha Traynor…_] …can't say it any plainer than that. Wǒ yào yǒngyuǎn hé nǐ zài yīqǐ. Wúlùn wǒmen zǒu dào nǎlǐ, zài liánméng, wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ yīqǐ qù." [我要永遠和你在一起。無論我們走到哪裡，在聯盟，我想和你一起去。-_I want to be with you forever. Wherever we go in the (Alliance) league, I want to go with you_.]

Samantha's look of puzzlement was priceless. "I don't have any idea what you said, although I believe I heard the word 'love' in your firs…wait, did you just say 'Wǒ ài nǐ', Xiùlán? Did I hear you tell me you love me? You wouldn't rip my heart out by teasing me, would you?"

"Of all the words in Mandarin you do _not_ understand, you understood _those_ three?" Xiùlán smiled at her with that special smile reserved only for Sam…a smile of true joy and delight for a woman that had impressed ever since they'd crashed into each other on arrival day. "Incredible! Do you understand your name in Mandarin, _Sà màn shā?_"

Sammy grinned at her as she jumped up and flung her arms around her friend. Kissing her softly on the mouth, she whispered, "Xiùlán, I've wanted you since the moment we collided on arrival day. Don't ask me why…I have no words to express everything I'm feeling for you." Sam softly, lingeringly kissed her again, not to arouse but to affirm. "I need you, Xiùlán. I've never had a close friend…_ever!_ And now? Wǒ ài nǐ, Xiùlán! Wǒ ài nǐ, _yǒngyuǎn!"_ [我愛你，永遠 - _I love you, forever!_]

It was Xiùlán's turn to be surprised. She hugged Sam to her, as if afraid of losing her forever if she didn't hold on. "Samantha, only now do I realize how incredibly lonely I've been since I left my parents home in Shanghai. I joined the Alliance for a career…I intend to be captain of a warship within ten years. I took the courses here to round out my education. I wasn't looking for love, never expected to find a companion, certainly not a woman. Does loving _you_ mean I too am a lesbian? I always felt I would find a man someday, get married, have some children, settle down…until I crashed into you." She kissed Sam, as if experimenting for the first time with the sensations of kissing another woman. "I kissed a few boys when I was in secondary school," she whispered. "Some young men on dates before the course work got so crazy and time consuming." Xiùlán kissed her again, as if sampling a fine wine. "Your kisses are different, Sēn měi. [森美 - _Sammy_] Why _is_ that?"

Samantha gently took Xiùlán's face in both hands and held her as she firmly placed lips against lips, kissing her not as a casual encounter, not as a one-night only dinner date, but as a lover. Pulling back, she said in a husky whisper, "Difference is, Yuán Xiùlán, _none_ of those guys were in love with you. Their loss, really. I _am_ in love with you, xiànzài zhídào yǒngyuǎn." [現在直到永遠。- _Now and forever._]

Xiùlán grinned. "So, I suppose we should celebrate! Showers, fresh clothes, dinner, then coursework until lights out. You have to tutor me some more in using this brand new omni-tool for something besides playing games. Sound like fun?"

Samantha thought it over. Spend the rest of the day with the person that had just declared her love for her, or spend the evening alone. Not much of a choice at all! Grabbing her bathrobe and shower supplies, she smiled, motioned Xiùlán to the door and said, "After you, luv."

* * *

_A/N: A short chapter in the lives of two people in the beginnings of their budding love affair, one that will (unknown to either one) carry them into a war of terrifying proportions._


	4. Instructing the Teachers

_If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter - _Anchee Min,_ Red Azalea_

* * *

*** 2179/02/22 ***

A week went by with Xiùlán and Samantha spending as much free time as possible tutoring each other in the subjects each knew best; Traynor instructed Xiùlán in simple programming skills, electronic devices and how and when to modify them, and comm systems; additionally, there was specialized instruction in using her new omni-tool. Along with her daily instruction in _Jing Quan Dao_, Sam was being instructed in anatomy…human, batarian, turian, krogan, asari and salarian, all with the intent of learning how to disable, maim, and/or kill each race in the most efficient manner. Xiùlán was even teaching Sam all the different ways she could apply her newly learned hand-to-hand skills alongside her new omni-tool's melee weapons. Sam had accused Xiùlán of being a harsh taskmaster when it came to teaching her unarmed fighting skills. Sam had been unaccustomed to the physical pounding Xiùlán was inflicting on her body, and she had more than one bloody nose to show for her exercises, had to deal with arm and leg muscles that fairly screamed from the abuse they were being put through, and she was virtually asleep before her head hit the pillow at lights out. Xiùlán kept applying the pressure, telling her she _should_ have started these exercises at the age of five, just as _she_ _herself_ had done in her mother's dojo in Shanghai.

Xiùlán awakened this morning to the knowledge she was going to spend most of this week concentrating on physical training, the majority of which would involve hand-to-hand combat. Her first class today would be a demonstration of her abilities against an opponent selected at random from a pool of instructors working for the Alliance.

She straightened up her bunk, shed her sleepshirt and got dressed before eating a breakfast bar and drinking half a liter of high-protein juice. She didn't want much in her stomach for this class, preferring to consume more calories at lunch.

She had told Samantha about this class, hoping she could watch; Sam had attempted to get her own morning class shifted to another day; unsuccessful, she told Xiùlán to take vids. Xiùlán grabbed her nángùn and shoulder pack and left for the training room.

* * *

The young Chinese woman entered the training room silently, quietly padding to the center of the bamboo mat covering the wooden floor. She was dressed in traditional sparring clothes - loose fitting ankle-length pants tied at the waist with a length of silk and a deep blue, high-collared jacket with long sleeves, fastened down the front with matching cloth ties. Her long raven hair was combed back from her face and cinched at the nape of her neck with an ebony ring, carved in the form of a dragon eating its own tail; her hair was inside her jacket for protection against being pulled. She wore neither socks nor shoes, preferring to have her bare feet in contact with the floor. She gripped her polished, two-meter long white wax wooden staff, a 'nángùn'…literally, a 'southern staff', with both hands, holding it crossways in front of her as she sank to her knees. She rested her butt on the heels of her feet, her toes bent upwards so the tips remained on the floor.

Closing her eyes, she meditated on her soon to be opponent, a turian hand-to-hand combat specialist named F'lar'Jid. Xiùlán had studied this turian, had watched vids of her in action against various other opponents, mostly others of her species, but some humans as well. The humans, particularly the males, always appeared to underestimate her cunning…her deviousness. Perhaps they simply felt intimidated by having to fight a female, of _any_ species. Xiùlán had memorized how F'lar'Jid moved, how she reacted to various counter moves.

There was a pattern to the turian's reactions suggesting weakness, something she was hiding. Analyzing the vids frame-by-frame, Xiùlán believed F'lar'Jid was favoring her left shoulder, an old injury that had not healed well. She was compensating, protecting her shoulder at the expense of her right side and torso. Xiùlán believed this would work in her favor.

Xiùlán opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening on the far side of the room…her opponent entered the training room and walked towards her as a turian trainer and a human referee entered from the right. Xiùlán stood in one fluid motion and bowed from the waist as F'lar'Jid stopped in front of her. The turian's face was not as sharply defined as a male's; the mandibles not as prominent, there was no horn crest and her features appeared to be softer overall, with facial tattoos in shades of orange. F'lar'Jid was wearing a mixture of exercise clothing mixed with a few light armor pieces, something that would make Xiùlán's task a bit more difficult. She did not appear to have any weapons, but Xiùlán felt certain the turian had a dagger secreted within her clothing.

The referee held his hand out to Xiùlán, indicating the nángùn. "No weapons for this round, Serviceman." She handed the staff to him and watched silently as he carefully placed it behind her to the right, on a pair of hooks in the wall a meter past the edge of the bamboo mat. As it was outside the active exercise surface, she wouldn't be able to retrieve it during the match without forfeiting. She set her jaw as she turned back to look at F'lar'Jid. Xiùlán's 186 Cm. height gave her an advantage over most of the women in the program; she employed her stature to full benefit here, looking straight at the turian.

F'lar'Jid stared steadily back, having pointedly ignored Xiùlán's bow of greeting. "Are you as soft, as weak, as every human female I've encountered in the past?"

There was something 'off' in her sub-harmonics. If she were human, Xiùlán would have thought she had taken too many shots to the throat, but turians did not have a larynx; although impact damage to the soft tissue underlying her throat, and perhaps even to her nose plates, _could_ account for her vocal patterns. "Zhè shì děngdài nǐ qù fājué, biǎo zi!." [這是等待你去發掘，婊子！- _It is waiting for you to discover, bitch!_]

"What language is that, human? My translator cannot decipher those words, but the tone sounds quite disrespectful."

"Méiyǒu gèng duō de bù zūnzhòng bǐ nǐ de jiǎshè." [沒有更多的不尊重比你的假設。- _No more disrespect(ful) than your assumptions._]

The referee stepped between the pair and looked at each of them in turn as he said, "F'lar'Jid, this is a training exercise only…no lethal force, understand? Serviceman, I realize this is probably your first encounter with a turian. You would do well to remember you can be inadvertently slashed by her talons. If I signal at any time during the next five minutes, both of you are expected to move to the opposite corners. Now, please move to your respective edges and wait for my signal.

Xiùlán backed away, her eyes never leaving the turian's face. F'lar'Jid mirrored her action, carefully backing away from the center of the mat until standing at the far edge.

The referee signaled the start of the match; F'lar'Jid crouched slightly and moved towards Xiùlán, circling towards the right. Xiùlán raised her hands, right arm held tight to her side, elbow bent, fingers curled into a fist; left arm extended straight out from her shoulder, palm of her hand facing her opponent, fingers together, slightly curved back as she moved around the turian. F'lar'Jid rushed in and viciously swung her right arm down, intending to hit and fracture Xiùlán's left collar bone. Xiùlán leaned back to dodge the blow, putting the turian out of balance as she missed.

Xiùlán threw her right, rotating her hand palm up as she struck F'lar'Jid in the throat with folded knuckles and fingertips, catching the turian by surprise; she swiftly followed up, using the heel of her left hand to strike the turian's nose plates, snapping her head back. She didn't pull this punch as she might have on a lesser opponent; that this turian meant to injure her had been demonstrated by her first move. Having staggered the over-confident turian, Xiùlán pressed her advantage by pirouetting around on the toes of her left foot and using her free leg to kick F'lar'Jid in the right side under her arm…the result of this blow on the nerve stem could be likened to a human hitting their so called 'funny bone' on a solid object; F'lar'Jid's arm went numb all the way to her talons. As her hand dropped below her chest, Xiùlán struck again by folding down at the waist and side-kicking the turian's head at the mandible joint; this fractured the mandible with a audible _'crack'_, allowing the forward end to droop in a sickening fashion. Bleeding from her nose, F'lar'Jid dropped to one knee as the referee signaled a pause in the exercise. Xiùlán backed to the corner edge of the mat as the turian trainer and human referee checked F'lar'Jid's injuries.

After conferring together, the referee stood and moved to stand in front of Xiùlán. "Your opponent is too injured to continue, Serviceman." Glancing back at F'lar'Jid, he continued, "It would seem you already have a great deal of knowledge regarding unarmed combat."

"Her over-confidence and lack of respect for human females defeated her before we even began," Xiùlán replied quietly. "My own skills were hardly a factor."

"Be that as it may, F'lar'Jid is unable to continue, Serviceman. We will have to find another sparring partner for you…someone that will present, ummm, more of a challenge. You are dismissed."

* * *

*** 2179/04/13 ***

It had been eight weeks since Xiùlán had stopped a turian female hand-to-hand specialist cold in her tracks in an unarmed sparring exercise. Xiùlán had been retested six times in the intervening weeks, all with the same result. The trainers, even knowing ahead of time that Xiùlán had thoroughly handed all of her previous opponents their asses, walked onto the bamboo mat with a great deal of superiority, an attitude of _'this female…a human!…can't possibly be better than me'_…each had been injured seriously enough that continuing was out of the question. Her last exercise yesterday had been against two people simultaneously…a young human from Japan that was a champion fighter, and an asari commando that fought with blocked biotics so there'd be no accidents.

Xiùlán had tossed the asari out of the boundary delineated by the bamboo mat. Sam had been in attendance for this and the previous two exercises; she couldn't get over how powerful Xiùlán's legs were. Yuán had rapidly worked the asari around the mat while keeping her between the Japanese master and herself. Once she had the asari where she wanted her on the mat, she grabbed both forearms above the wrists, pulled them to her as she tipped backwards and landed on her butt. She continued moving, rolling backwards as she brought her bare feet up to place them on each of the asari's hip bones; swiftly straightening her legs like a pair of catapults, she forcefully propelled her hapless victim violently, backside first and head down, into the wall adjacent to the door, where she struck with a sickening 'thud' before falling unconscious to the wooden floor. Xiùlán was on her feet before her victim hit the wall, turning to meet the threat from the Japanese master.

He had literally flown at her feet first…she grabbed both his feet and twisted them violently, aiming to fracture his ankles. He fell heavily to the mat, then immediately bounced up to confront Xiùlán with a flurry of thrown punches aimed at her face and torso, all of which she expertly deflected with her hands. He abruptly stopped in the middle of this to attempt a 'round house' kick to her face; this too failed to connect, as Xiùlán swiftly kicked him in his unguarded gonads while he was spinning to bring his leg around.

This appeared not to faze him in the least, but his next move was his undoing; he made the mistake of reaching in to grab her by the throat. Ducking under his outstretched arm, she whirled around, grabbed his arm from the 'outside' and applied pressure with her own forearm and body weight while hanging on to his wrist with a viselike grip; this tore the tendons and ligaments at the shoulder joint in an extremely painful fashion, dislocating the upper arm with a sickening crunch, rendering his arm useless. Seeing the groggy asari attempting to return to the match, Xiùlán ignored the man's cry of pain as she used his arm and body as a pivot point to lift her hips and viciously kick the commando in the face, smashing her nose and splitting her lips.

The referee was frantically sounding the signal for all action to stop; Xiùlán released the injured man's arm and walked to her corner of the bamboo mat, where she stood, impassively watching the frantic first-aid efforts of the two instructors and referee. The asari was on her hands and knees, blue blood streaming from her nose and mouth…she spat out two bloody white chunks, most likely her front teeth; the Japanese master was holding his injured arm as tightly to his side as possible in an attempt to immobilize the shoulder joint…it was quite possible he would never regain full use of his right arm. Both would need the assistance of medics and liberal quantities of medi-gel.

The referee came up to Xiùlán as the pair were being removed on stretchers. "Serviceman, I don't think I've ever witnessed an attack by two people repulsed with such precision. Unfortunately, you've been accused of having a vicious attitude by the trainers of every person with which you've been paired." He had his hands on his hips as he now walked around a bit on the mat. "What the hell am I going to do with you, Serviceman? No one in the facility wants to be on the mat opposing you."

"I'm sorry, Sir. I was only defending myself…didn't realize that wasn't allowed."

"Dammit, Yuán, that's _not_ what I'm saying here. I've watched your face in these matches," he said. Pausing to carefully choose his words, he continued, "It's like you go into a trance, as if…as if you're outside your body, directing it from another dimension. Really scary to witness…I don't think _you_ even realize what you're doing when you're doing it."

"I've been training since I was five, six years old, Sir. When someone comes at me, I react. Don't have to think about it, don't have to analyze it. Reactions all happen automatically…_every_…reaction…_every_…time. I don't think about the correct way to counter someone's attack…I…just…do it." Xiùlán shrugged her shoulders as she studied this man closely. "I won't apologize for knowing what I know. I refuse to be the person leaving this room injured."

"I'm going to have to cancel the remainder of your classes…hell, you've passed this course hands down. Never seen anything like it!"

"If you're shutting me down, then I need a favor," she said. "I'm training a fellow student, Samantha Traynor. Would it be possible for me to utilize this room during _my_ class time to train _her_? It would be a real benefit to the program…she's a really talented recruit, but she needs about ten years worth of instruction in an eighteen month timeframe."

The man looked at her dumbfounded. "Hell, you should be teaching everyone here, but I'll see if I can pull some strings…get you accredited as a student teacher."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

_A/N: A bit more of Xiùlán's time in school revealed. Scary fast hand-to-hand combat specialist, and even at this point in her life she does not suffer fools gladly._


	5. Happy Birthday to Xiùlán

_I want you any way I can get you. Not because you're beautiful or clever or kind or adorable, although devil knows you're all those things. I want you because there's no one else like you, and I don't ever want to start a day without seeing you. _\- Lisa Kleypas, _Tempt Me at Twilight_

* * *

**A/N: HEAVY 'M'-RATED SMUT WARNING** \- This chapter depicts the first time Xiùlán and Samantha make love. The language is a bit more graphic than what you're used to from me, although a lot tamer than what's in some of the stories posted under this category. (Humble thanks to Desert Sunrise and AmityN7 for some of the ideas I used for descriptions of Sam and Xiùlán's lovemaking.)

* * *

*** 2179/08/16 ***

In the four months since Yuán Xiùlán had been prohibited from 'sparring' with other hand-to-hand combat specialists, she had been using the training room to teach her skills to Samantha, who turned out to have a real aptitude for the subtleties of _Jing Quan Dao._ Traynor had even been paired with two of the opponents Xiùlán had defeated in the two-month period she had been allowed to test her skills, resulting in a draw with the turian F'lar'Jid (who had shown a lot more respect for human females than when she attempted to take down Xiùlán in February) and a decisive win over a male batarian (Samantha had taken offense at some of the illegal 'holds' he had employed on her, so she taught him a lesson he would not soon forget).

Xiùlán continued to insist Sam _should_ be prepared to defend herself against any and all. "You _have_ to let go of conscious thought, Sammy. Every movement you make _must_ be done automatically, whether for defense or offense. You have to train yourself to maim or kill each time you strike someone. Do not leave your opponent capable of getting up from the floor. If you are attacked by anyone, you can and must defend yourself. Someone puts a hand on you from behind, teach them why that's not a good idea. You have personal space around you…don't let anyone violate that space."

"What about you, Xiùlán?" Traynor snarked. "You violate my space all the time."

Xiùlán managed to look hurt. "If I have offended you in any way, Ms. Traynor, please for…"

"…No! NO!" Traynor took the bait. "I was teasing you…I wasn't serious! Oh, Xiùlán! I am so sorry I said that!" Traynor attempted to wrap her arms around her friend, only to have Xiùlán place her palm on Sam's chest and hold her back.

"You have to be careful that _words_ don't get to you as well, Ms. Traynor," Xiùlán said somberly. "You just offered yourself up to me…I could just as easily have placed my hand a bit higher and crushed your larynx, like this…" Xiùlán swiftly moved her hand up, grabbed Traynor by the bare skin of her throat and gently squeezed as she pulled the unresisting woman to her.

Traynor was frightened by her friend's demeanor. "Xiùlán," she said in a halting voice, "please, you're hurting me. I'm sorry…please…" Sam had both her hands on Xiùlán's wrist and forearm; feeling the mass of muscles and corded tendons under her skin, she realized her life was quite literally in the palm of this woman's hand. "Xiùlán…you're scaring me. Let me go…I'll leave."

Xiùlán relaxed her grip ever so slightly as she pulled Sam closer. "Why would I want you to leave, Sammy? I love you," she said as she leaned in and kissed her thoroughly confused student on the mouth. "I needed to teach you a lesson in preparedness." Another kiss. "Never let an opponent get so close Sammy, unless you plan to take them down." Xiùlán was enjoying kissing Sam, so she held this kiss until Sam hesitantly returned her kiss. "I am the only person you can ever allow into your space like this, míngbáile ma?" Xiùlán let go of Sam's throat and hugged her. "Did I really scare you?"

"Damn right you scared me. Damn near broke my heart, too! You are a frightening woman, Yuán Xiùlán," Samantha huffed.

"Remember what you've learned today, Sam. It could save your life. None of us are born capable of killing others. We have to be trained in that art, and we have to choose to use that knowledge to kill. Now, let's continue on…"

Today Sam was being taught how to use her fists to take down her opponents permanently. "Key to this is moving your arms fast, getting your fists in someone's face 1-2-1, but in slightly different locations each time," Xiùlán said, as she demonstrated on the heavy bag. She had dusted her sparring gloves so each would leave a trace on whatever it hit. On the heavy bag, she left three distinct impressions, all so close together they were almost one. "What you're after is precision and speed in placement" She moved around the bag slightly and attacked it again, the 'Whump whump whump' sound of her fists smacking the surface of the bag coming so close together as to be virtually indistinguishable as separate sounds. "As you may have noticed, I didn't move the bag. That's the advantage of using 'snap' punches."

"I have a feeling I'm going to need to practice this a lot," Sam observed, trying to keep the discouragement she felt from coloring her voice. "And just what the 'ell are 'snap' punches? A punch is a punch, right?"

"Answer to your first statement? Damn right you are," Xiùlán replied. "Sam, you need to be able to pull this combo out whether you're fresh in the first minute or your arms are heavier than lead in the final minute of a match or in combat. What I'm teaching you could very well save your life someday." Xiùlán placed her gloved hands on Sam's shoulders. "As for your question, we're women. Neither of us will ever have the bulk of a man…it's not in our hormones. We can build up our muscles, bulk up our bodies, especially our legs, to a certain degree, but the upper body strength advantage will _always_ belong to the males…it's a matter of testosterone…they have it, we don't. So, we have to fight _smart_. What I'm going to teach you, the 'snap punch', is a quickly thrown punch in which you strike the target and your arm quickly snaps back after the punch. You want contact time with your target to be minimal."

Xiùlán turned and fired a triple combination at the bag, then said, "Think of your fists as weights connected to your waist rather than the end of your arms. Your arms and hands will drop relaxed to your waist as you move around the heavy bag. When you're ready, quickly ground your feet to anchor your hips and imagine your hands suddenly picking up weight and firing with power from your hips. The muscle that starts relaxed has more potential to burst with more speed and power than a stiff muscle. Your focus should be on explosive power, so you can maximize damage to your opponent. Treat the punching arm as a rubber band accelerating to maximum velocity, striking the target, and then bouncing off relaxed immediately afterwards."

Samantha's expression betrayed her uncertainty. "Everything you're saying seems to contradict a lot of what I've seen."

Xiùlán smiled and motioned towards the heavy bag. "Start practicing, Sammy. Don't worry about punching with power…keep your arms and body relaxed and loose. Don't try to punch hard or fast. Loosen up. You're going for proper technique. Now begin…"

Traynor stepped up to the bag, took her stance and let fly, causing the bag to react from each strike.

"Relax, Sammy. Do it again."

Sam could tell this was going to be a long morning as she attacked the bag again and again. Each time she struck, she increased the speed of her punches as she decreased the apparent power applied. She relaxed, allowing her arms to become extensions of her muscular hips.

Xiùlán said, "Let your fists bounce off the bag, Sammy. It'll help build your timing. Keep after it, you're doing great."

Sam continued to hit the bag, concentrating on her technique. She could feel her muscles complaining, knew she'd be sore as hell tonight, but visualizing the bag as each of the people that had abused her in college kept her going. She took a break after thirty sweat soaked minutes, barely able to raise her arms. "Jeez, Xiùlán, what a workout. Need some water."

Xiùlán gave her some water, then sat her down on a bench and began gently massaging her shoulders and upper back. "Nǐ zuò de hěn hǎo, sà mǐ." [你做的很好，薩米。-_ You do well, Sami_.] Xiùlán said softly in her ear. "You get really good at this _and_ Jing Quan Dao, you'll _never_ have to worry about having your ass handed to you, ever."

* * *

*** 2179/08/19, 2045 Hours ***

Samantha Traynor began Xiùlán's five-minute countdown as the woman began hacking her way into a computer deliberately rigged to douse her with water if it detected an intrusion. For her part, the top of Xiùlán's head was wet from several previous unsuccessful attempts, and her frustration was showing as she gave vent to her feelings by cursing under her breath in Mandarin. "Dài hóuzi jiānguǒ! Gāisǐ de chóng chūmò cáng wū nà gòu! Pìyǎn tiǎn, shēngzhū miànlín de húndàn! Pí fèn! Tā mā de GǑU NIÁNG YǍNG DE!" [袋猴子堅果！該死的蟲出沒藏污納垢！屁眼舔，生豬面臨的混蛋！蜱糞！他媽的**狗娘養的！**\- _Bag monkey nuts! Damn insect infested filth! Asshole licking, pig faced bastard! Tick __dung! Fucking SON OF A BITCH!_] The last became a shout as the computer beeped and splashed water on her head yet again. Rising from her cramped, kneeling position, she had pulled back an arm and was ready to let her fist fly when Traynor grabbed her.

"No no no no no NO NO NO, Xiùlán! Come on, take a break." Traynor hugged her friend and kissed her cheek as she handed her a towel. "Do you want to stop for the evening? I think you're getting too wound up. You tell me not to lose _my_ temper, no matter how badly I'm goaded by whatever miserable bastard I'm fighting. You, my dear, have lost control of your temper. Can't do that on a mission, 'specially if I'm not alongside to talk you down. You almost had it, too. You were doing _so_ bloody _good! _

Xiùlán's expression softened as she returned Sam's hug. "Dammit, Sammy! I don't think I have the touch. I can't seem to get past that last, little bit of encrypted code. Frustrating as all hell!" She hugged Sam tight, enjoying the feel of her body held tight to her own. _'I know what's __reall__y frustrating me, but I'm not going to tell her,'_ she thought.

"You'll get there, Luv. Just give it a rest tonight. We'll tackle it in the morning before class after you've had a good night's sleep. Come on. Showers and bed time…"

* * *

*** 2179/08/19, 2205 Hours ***

"You going to stay with me tonight?" Normally, it would have been Traynor asking that question, mostly in jest, but the pair were in Yuán Xiùlán's quarters, and Sam was surprised to hear the question from her friend. Xiùlán had scared the hell out of Sam on Monday, and wanted to make sure things really were okay between them. "Just had my birthday, Sam…I'm 22 years old. Should be out celebrating with friends, except…" here she trailed off into an awkward silence.

"Happy Birthday, Xiùlán! You should have told me! I would have baked, well, bought a cake for you!" Sam kissed her friend. "I suppose I can stay, as long as invading your personal space _is_ on the agenda. Don't have anything to wear, and I'd bet all your stuff is too large for me."

Xiùlán stood, went to her small closet, rummaged about for a few seconds and produced a short sleep shirt, which she tossed to Samantha. Moving towards her sleeping area, she began removing her own clothes, hanging her shirt and pants over the desk chair; she sat on the edge of the bed to remove her socks, then said to Sam, "How's it fit?"

Sam strolled into the room wearing just her bra and panties, outer clothes draped over an arm and the sleep shirt in her hand. "It's a bit baggy." She set her clothes down with Xiùlán's, then tossed the sleep shirt at her before joining her on the edge of the bed, knees together, just her toes touching the floor. Xiùlán moved closer to her and asked, "Sure you don't want to wear something? Get's pretty cool in here at night."

"If you're in bed with me, it really won't matter, will it?" Sam replied. She brought her arm up around Xiùlán's back and tentatively drew her closer as she looked into her eyes, searching for any sign of rejection.

Xiùlán allowed Sam to pull her close, until she could reach in and plant a kiss on her cheek. Reaching around in front of Samantha, Xiùlán placed her hand under Sam's left arm, making sure her wrist and forearm were pressed firmly against Sam's breasts. "Do we really _want_ to do this, Sēn měi? Are you sure?"

Traynor's twisted herself to face Xiùlán by bringing her right leg up on the bed, placing the sole of her foot high against the inside of her left thigh. "I love you, Yuán Xiùlán. Other than being…" she couldn't quite keep her voice from hitching, "…raped, as you say,…in college, I've never had a sexual experience with anyone. I want you to be my first true lover, Xiùlán…if you'll have me."

"Sammy, I told you shortly after we met that I'm a virgin. We can either spend this night together as very close friends, or…" Xiùlán leaned in, gently placing her lips on Traynor's, enjoying the butterflies in her stomach, the spreading feeling of warmth brought on by this simple act as she slightly pulled away and whispered, "…we can spend tonight exploring each other's bodies, learning to enjoy our sexuality, learning what we mean to each other on a physical level."

"I want to make love to you, Xiùlán," Sam replied. Looking down as a sudden bout of shyness overcame her, she softly added, "And I want you to make love to me…I want to know what having sex feels like with someone that loves me…someone I totally love and respect. I want…I'm ready…for you to take me, Xiùlán." Sam looked into the twin pools of inky darkness that were Xiùlán's eyes. Her tongue stumbled a bit over the pronunciation of the words in Mandarin: "Wǒ ài _nǐ_ yǒngyuǎn, Yuán Xiùlán!

Sam's use of her native tongue brought a smile to Xiùlán that crinkled the corners of her eyes and lit her face with the soft glow of happiness.

"We need to work on your pronunciations and inflections, and I love _you_ forever as well, Samantha Traynor." She kissed Sam again, with purpose this time, using the tip of her tongue to explore soft lips that gradually parted, as if suddenly reluctant to allow entry.

Sam still had her right hand on Xiùlán's shoulder; she slid her palm and fingertips towards her neck, then down her backbone to the back of her bra. Index finger and thumb swiftly released the hook and loop fastener, allowing the straps to swing free. She reached out with her left hand, sliding it under the loosened cups to caress uncovered breasts, something she had wanted to do ever since Xiùlán had pushed them up in the shower to show her the massive bruise on her chest, long since healed.

Xiùlán's hands were busy as well…she had reached into the left cup of Sam's bra to caress the fullness of _her_ breast. When she managed to release the fasteners one-handed and Sam's bra started to fall away from her chest, Sammy grabbed it, shyly holding it across her boobs as Xiùlán continued to fondle her left side. Xiùlán broke her kiss to softly say, "Bǎ nǐ de shíjiān sà mǐ." [把你的時間，薩米 - _Take your time, Sami_ ]; she then rose to stand in front of Sam, hips at eye level, and finished removing her bra. Setting it aside, she turned around and bent at the waist slightly to dim the lights, knowing full well she was providing Sam a close up view of her muscular ass.

Reaching around behind with her hand out, she said softly, "Let me have it, birei" [美麗 - _beautiful_]. She felt the fabric settle gently in her hand, then gasped in surprise as fingers looped into the waistband of her own panties and began pulling them down past her butt. Placing her hands on her hips, she slowly turned and parted her legs slightly so Sam could get her panties down to her knees, where they dropped to her ankles. Stepping out of her last piece of clothing, she reached behind her head to re-tie her long hair, knowing the effect having her arms up had on the appearance of her breasts. Done with her hair, she slowly cupped each of her boobs in her hands, lifting them up as she tilted her head down and kissed each nipple, then asked, "Jiù xiàng nǐ kàn dàole shénme?" [就像你看到了什麼？- _Like what you see?_]

Sammy's face was mere centimeters from Xiùlán's bare pubic mound, which she slowly kissed before looking up at her face; placing her hands on Xiùlán's hips, she slowly stood, planting little kisses as she rose; with her nearly nude body firmly against Xiùlán's, she wrapped her arms around her torso, kissed her neck in the hollow between her collarbones and replied, "You're gonna need to teach me Mandarin if you're gonna keep asking questions I can't understand."

"Just wondering if you like what you see, is all," came the husky response. After a few seconds of looking into her eyes, she added, "Well, what do you think?"

"I think…I know!…you…are…absolutely beautiful, Xiùlán," Traynor whispered in her ear. She planted a little kiss on that ear before continuing, "I don't know what I did to deserve you for a friend, much less a lover."

Xiùlán sat her back down on the bed, then followed, choosing to lie on her back behind her. Sam half rose and turned, using one hand to gently massage a breast; she moved her other hand down the center of Xiùlán's tight belly, fingertips spread wide, barely touching skin, causing her to arch her lower back slightly. Sam dodged her hand to one side, using her fingertips to explore inner thighs just below Xiùlán's sex; groaning in anticipation, Xiùlán raised her arms over her head and gripped the corners of the mattress. As the skin on her breasts tightened, Sam used a fingertip to lightly circle first one, then the other areola, as if tracing an oval to remember the shape and feel of each. Her other hand had finally reached the place she'd sought as she placed her palm on the smooth skin of Xiùlán's mound and ever so tenderly used her fingers to explore the soft, pliant flesh of Xiùlán's vulva, moist and engorged in anticipation.

Xiùlán reached around her friend and slowly pulled her down on the bed to lie beside her. Sam continued to stroke the damp folds of Xiùlán's sex as she brought her head up so she could kiss her yet again. After teasing her with her tongue, Sam bent her body slightly; feeling a hand once more exploring her own breasts, she leaned over and kissed Xiùlán's nipples, then used her tongue to swirl around the stiffening bud of each. Capturing both nipples in turn, she used her teeth to gently nibble on the fully erect blossoms, enjoying the little whimpers, catches in breathing, moans of pleasure and the arching of her back her hand and mouth were causing.

Sam could feel Xiùlán's stiffened clitoris under her fingertips, and concentrated her efforts there; her fingertips were especially sensitive to slight differences in temperature and pressure feedback from her many months of using Haptic interfaces. She stroked Xiùlán's clit between her thumb and forefinger, causing her to move her hips and bend her legs alternately as she dragged her feet up and down the sheet – as Sam continued massaging all 'round, Xiùlán began panting, the skin on her torso slowly became slick with sweat. Xiùlán had moved her arms down beside her, powerful hands grasping the mattress edges in a death grip through the sheet; her entire body gradually stiffened, then came clear of the bed as she gasped, crying out repeatedly as her orgasm washed over her in waves accompanied by rivulets of liquid marking each receding wave.

She gradually relaxed, dropping her body back to her bed; as Traynor continued to lightly stroke her sex, Xiùlán released her grip on the mattress to gently bring Traynor's face to hers, where she applied a kiss, gently to begin with, then adding passion to the probing of her tongue. She finished by using her teeth to nibble tenderly on Sam's lower lip, then said dreamily, "My god, Sà màn shā…that was _the_ most intense climax I have _ever_ experienced. Will we always…I mean…I just never expected…"

Sam placed a fingertip across her friend's lips to quiet her. "I love you, Xiùlán. That makes all the difference in how you respond to me. I take it you _really_ enjoyed your birthday present."

"More than you will ever know, wǒ de bǎobèi." [我的寶貝 – _my darling_]

Traynor lightly dragged her fingertips up from Xiùlán's vulva, tracing a meandering path around her navel before laying her arm on her side, hand resting on her hip. Xiùlán rose to a sitting position, then moved and got to her knees beside Sam, who obligingly slid towards the center of the bed, where she could now lie on her back. Xiùlán brought her right leg over so she could straddle Sam's body, knees on the bed beside her hips, hands on either side of her head.

Bending down, she placed another kiss on a willing mouth, then asked, "Nàme, nǐ shì wǒ de shēngrì dàngāo?" [那麼，你是我的生日蛋糕？-_ Well, you're my birthday cake?_] She slowly jackknifed her body down so she could kiss the pair of beautiful breasts beneath her, then took first one then the other nipple between her fingers and teased them into attention. As she alternated her mouth and fingers from side to side to pleasure Sam's breasts, she unhurriedly slid her other hand down across an extremely firm belly to the waistband of a pair of lacy panties. "These need to come off, my sweet…" Xiùlán whispered around the nipple on which she was currently nibbling to an accompaniment of little moans interspersed with the hiss of air being drawn into lungs through clenched teeth.

Sliding fingertips under the waistband, Xiùlán surprised Sam by simply continuing on down until her fingers rested on the flesh guarding the entrance of Sam's vagina; another pair of hands, previously busy massaging a pair of deliciously firm breasts hanging down like ripening fruit, moved to hook the waistband of the last bit of cloth guarding Sam's modesty. Raising her bottom in order to slide her panties past her ass first, she looked into Xiùlán's eyes with just a hint of trepidation. "Wǒ ài nǐ, Xiùlán. I am giving up my virginity as well."

Xiùlán kissed each of Sam's knees as she finished removing panties from her muscular legs, then gently spread those legs apart, bringing her own knees up one at a time and placing her legs together between Sam's before sliding them down towards her feet. Sam groaned in pleasure as Xiùlán's talented tongue carved a path down the center of her chest to her stomach, pausing at her navel to explore its delicate folds.

Traynor sighed as she grabbed the length of Xiùlán's hair and laid it to the side, watching as Xiùlán planted little kisses down her belly until reaching her mound, where she buried her nose and mouth in Sam's neatly trimmed bush and teased her with that talented tongue before sliding the tip into Sam's glistening flesh.

She cried out as Xiùlán used her lips to gently pinch her clitoris; then, as she alternated lips and tongue, kissing and licking, she brought a hand down and slowly inserted two fingers into her vagina, curving them upwards to touch her 'hot spot'…this caused Sam to cry and arch her back in ecstasy as Xiùlán massaged her slot with her fingers and continued to caress her clit with her lips and tongue. Sam was panting now as she raised her legs and grabbed them behind her knees to give Xiùlán as much access as she needed. She never knew her sex could be the source of such intensely exquisite feelings of pleasure after the painful shame of Oxford; whimpering and moaning changed to crying out as she got closer and closer to an orgasm, only to have Xiùlán withdraw her fingers and raise her mouth! Sam couldn't believe it!…she was so damned close, and Xiùlán was holding her back!

Xiùlán slowly reinserted her fingers and resumed gently caressing Sam's labia and clit with her tongue and lips. By this time Samantha's entire world had shrunk to the engorged nerve endings in her breasts and vulva as Xiùlán slowly coaxed her closer and closer to an explosive orgasm…she was so close, but wasn't…quite…there…until…Xiùlán again removed her fingers, only to quickly jam her tongue as far into Sam's vagina as she could, causing her to scream as she climaxed in enormous waves of ecstasy and went crashing over the edge, rewarding her lover with several waves of liquid, which Xiùlán readily captured as it cascaded onto her face.

Sam reluctantly released her legs, grabbed Xiùlán's muscled arms and pulled her up over her between her upraised knees – their sweat soaked bodies gliding easily together. Sam kissed Xiùlán's lips, tasting her climax on her tongue and in her mouth. "Damn! Is that…the way…it's always supposed…to be?" Sam panted. "I've never known _that_ kind of pleasure, Xiùlán. That was fantastic!" Giggling, she added, "Ah, I hope you enjoyed your birthday cake as much as I enjoyed feeding it to you!"

Xiùlán hugged Sam tightly, reveling in the feel of her nude body. She kissed Sam, enjoying the taste in her mouth and on her tongue. "May my revered ancestors forgive me! That was absolutely wonderful, Sam!"

* * *

_A/N: So, my first attempt at writing Hard-M-rated stuff. Let me know if I nailed it, or not. Also, credit where credit is due - found great tips for snap punches on this website, _(expertboxing,com/boxing-techniques/punch-techniques/how-to-throw-a-snapping-punch.)_ with comments and instruction by Johnny N. - the man seems to really know his stuff, and I cannot imagine fighting techniques will change that much in 165 years. Thanks for reading!_


	6. Joesiar Receives a Painful Lesson

_Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to. _— Julianne Moore

* * *

*** 2179/08/19, 2325 — 08/20, 0010 ***

Sam bent Xiùlán's upper body over the basin in the tiny lav that was part of every student's quarters. Using a large washcloth dampened with warm water and a jasmine scented body wash, Traynor lovingly wiped away the sweat their lovemaking had caused, starting behind her ears, then moving around her hairline down to her neck. Sam used the newly developed strength in her forearms to massage the muscles under the Chinese woman's smooth-as-silk skin as she washed, eliciting low murmurs of contented appreciation from Xiùlán.

Continuing across her upper back, Sam unhurriedly stroked the woman's shoulder blades before moving her cloth into the center of her back, marveling at the chiseled vertebra and ribs plainly outlined under her beautifully pale, olive-toned skin. "Your skin is beautiful, Luv," she commented. "…not a mark on it."

Slowly moving down, Sam rinsed her cloth, freshened it with more warm water and body wash, then washed armpits, arms and both sides of her torso. Thinking, '_if there's a gram of fat in this woman's body anywhere, damned if I've seen any evidence of it!_', she began washing Xiùlán's tight bum, left side and right side, before reaching in between her 'cheeks' and legs. "Feet apart, Luv, so I can make a proper job of it," Traynor whispered into an ear.

"Ahhhh, Sammy," Xiùlán responded shyly. "I can reach all of that myself."

"I know you can…and that's not the point. Are you being modest now, after what we just did to each other? There's nothing between your legs any different than mine, Xiùlán. If I'm to wash you, it has to be top-to-bottom, head-to-toe, and everything in between. I want to do this, Luv, so move your feet apart. Come on…"

Xiùlán groaned in mock protest but did as she was asked. She couldn't deny that Traynor's loving attention to every centimeter of her body was enjoyable. She stiffened slightly as a cloth covered hand gently stroked her crotch several times from front to back. Sam rinsed the cloth again, applied a bit more body wash, then crouched as she washed the pair of especially well-muscled legs – thighs and calves, then ankles and feet, lifted from the floor, lower leg held between her own thighs like a farrier holding a horse's hoof.

With her feet complete, Sam couldn't resist planting a kiss on each side of Xiùlán's tightly muscled bum before standing to rinse, apply body wash and turn her lover around to face her.

Xiùlán gazed at Sam in an appraising manner. "What were the little kisses for, Sammy?"

"Do I really need to tell you? Wǒ ài nǐ, Xiùlán! I want to kiss you all over." With her lover facing her, Sam planted a little kiss on the tip of her nose; she suddenly realized Xiùlán had a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose as she lovingly washed her face _'…how could I have not noticed before?'_ came the thought; Sam continued along her neck under the chin, her shoulders and upper chest, breasts, midriff and front of her pelvis. Thinking _'my god! what a tight belly you have!'_, she rewashed Xiùlán's thighs at their juncture with her torso, then went over her entire body again with a different cloth, dampened with a non-scented moisturizer, in order to wipe off the remainder of the body wash; Sam then patted her skin dry with a fluffy towel. "All done, Luv. Feel better?"

"Mā de, sà mǐ! I could _really_ get used to this pampering," Xiùlán grinned. "You make me feel like I'm the most important person in your life."

"You are the _only_ person in my life!" Sam giggled. "Now, it's my turn to be pampered. Just follow my example."

Xiùlán washed Sam's body in much the same manner as Sam had washed hers, using the opportunity to visually and tactilely explore every centimeter of her medium brown skin. Traynor wasn't as 'muscled up' from her physical training as Xiùlán would like, but she was making good progress; there was virtually no fat under her skin. Even the Venusian dimples on either side of her lower back appeared a bit more prominent than the day they'd first showered together. She was surprised to discover Sam's skin was a shade lighter in color on her ass and boobs (despite the first impression of their communal shower).

Xiùlán wasn't pleased at having to struggle with feelings of arousal that came with washing Sam's full breasts and placing her cloth covered hand in her crotch. "How do you manage to stay on track when you're doing…" Xiùlán washed Sam's boobs a second time, "…these? I just want to drop everything and drag you back into bed!"

"Concentrate on cleaning my skin," she replied, "not on the objects the skin is covering." Sam drew a ragged breath through her teeth once, when the woman's hand, capable of killing with one blow, had gently washed her labia and between the cheeks of her bum. She continued through gritted teeth, "I know they're enjoyable as playthings, but that's for later. Right now, it's cleanup time. It's an opportunity for us to bond in a different way, as important as making love, maybe more so."

"Making love? Thought we were just pleasuring each other, satisfying our mutual lust."

"We were doing that as well, Luv. The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know."

Xiùlán finished washing Sam's legs and feet; being intimately familiar with her legs, she approvingly noted the musculature, particularly the quads, had grown larger and more defined since she had begun Sammy's training program. Looking at her knees, Xiùlán discovered a number of scars on each; most looked to be faded reminders of childhood accidents…one or two had their own faint scarring denoting stitches.

Standing again, Xiùlán applied moisturizer to her lover's entire body, particularly elbows, knees and ankles, then patted the rest of her body dry. Taking Sam's face in her hands, Xiùlán kissed her softly on the mouth, then said, "Come on…we have to change the sheets and remake the bed before we crawl in…."

* * *

*** 0317 ***

Samantha woke up slowly, not wanting the dream she had been experiencing to end just yet; there had been white sand, warm breezes wafting over cool ocean water to rustle the fronds of the palm trees behind her, puffy white clouds in the distance, drifting slowly in an azure sky, and no one around as far as the eye could see. She gradually realized her pillow, although warm, was rather more stiff than she was used to. Also, someone was behind her, very close. There was soft breathing in her ear, the slow rhythm of a sleeping person's chest rising and falling against her back. '_Where am I…?'_ she thought, until memory kicked in. The evening before…Xiùlán…it was _Xiùlán's_ nude body close behind her, 'spooning' her back, long legs tangled with her own, one arm under Sam's head in place of a pillow, the other arm draped over her side, warm muscular forearm against her stomach and chest, hand lovingly holding one of Sam's breasts, also nude, as was the rest of her body.

Sam had to pee; not wishing to wake her sleeping companion, she carefully placed her own hand over Xiùlán's and pressed it more firmly against her breast, enjoying the sensations aroused by the feel of her lover's hand on her body. She sighed as she started to pull Xiùlán's hand away so she could get out of bed; this effort was rewarded with a heavy sigh in her ear, followed by a whispered, "Máfanle, wǒ de ài?" [麻煩了，我的愛？- _Trouble, my love?_]. Xiùlán turned her head slightly and softly kissed Sam's ear as she gently squeezed the breast she was holding.

"Hafta pee…be right back," Sam replied as she elbowed her way up to a semi-sitting position. Xiùlán's hand stayed on her body, trailing down from her boob along her ribs, coming to rest at the crease where her thigh met her body at the hip. "You don't make answering nature's call very easy, Miss Yuán." She looked into the deep pools of dark brown eyes, studying her through slitted lids in the dim light of the compartment '…_like a tiger in the shadows, waiting to pounce,_' she thought, before swinging her legs over and getting to her feet, smiling as she felt that loving hand slide around to her butt and down the back of her leg. She thought, _'I could __so__ get used to this!' _as she took the few steps to the compact toilet compartment. She inwardly cringed as the sound of her stream brought to mind a horse pissing while standing in a shallow creek.

Thinking back on the events of a few short hours ago as she wiped and stood, she flushed the toilet and washed her hands. They'd both crowded in here last night, exploring their love further as they took turns washing the sweat from each other's bodies with damp washcloths before going to bed. It had been Traynor's idea for them to sleep nude.

Opening the door, she tiptoed back to Xiùlán's bed and eased herself under the covers. Xiùlán was now lying on her other side, back towards Sam, covers pulled up over her ear, apparently sound asleep. _'Damn! Just like that._' Reflecting on the speed with which Xiùlán had returned to her slumbers, Traynor snuggled up to her bare back and thought, _'She's a perfect fighter…able to go to sleep quickly, take advantage of any opportunity to rest_.' Reaching over Xiùlán's side, Sam snaked her arm under that of her lover's in order to place her own hand on a breast. Xiùlán, stirring slightly at this intrusion, responding by placing her own hand over Traynor's and pressing it tenderly towards her chest. A whispered "Gǎnjué hěn hǎo, sà mǐ. Wǒ ài nǐ." [感覺很好，薩米。我愛你。- _Feel_(s)_ good, Sami. I love you._] was all the indication Sam needed that this beautiful woman had completely accepted her as a companion. Traynor smiled, whispered, "Wǒ yě ài nǐ," closed her eyes and was almost instantly asleep.

* * *

*** 0752 ***

"Zǎoshang hǎo, wǒ de ài," [早上好，我的愛 - _Good morning, my love._] Samantha cracked open an eye to see who was whispering Mandarin centimeters from her ear. She was waking up for the first time in the arms of her newfound love…the feelings of happiness and contentment, anticipation of a life together with this fascinating woman, all converged in her mind as she laid there facing her, their arms around each other and their legs relaxed and intertwined. Sam placed a kiss on each of Xiùlán's eyelids, smiling as they parted ever so slightly to reveal dark eyes, calmly regarding her in the dimness of their sleeping area.

"I have no idea what you just said," Traynor whispered in response, "but I'd love nothing more than waking up to those words in my ear every morning for the rest of my life."

A gentle kiss on Sam's cheek. "Zǎoshang hǎo, wǒ de ài," came the whispered reply, "means '_Good morning, my love'._" This was followed by another gentle kiss. "Xiànzài yǐjīng wǎnle. Shàngxué shíjiān, wǒ de ài." [現在已經晚了。上學時間，我的愛。] Another kiss, then "That means '_It's late. School time, my love_'." She hugged Sam tightly to her, enjoying the feel of her nude body against her own; longing and arousal and need all playing out in her mind. "Last night was the best night of my life, Sammy," she said softly, before finishing in a voice tinged with shyness, "Couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. How'd you know what I needed?"

"Just a lucky guess, based on your frustration level with your last hacking attempt." Sam reached up to place her palms on Xiùlán's cheeks. "I love you, Yuán Xiùlán. I cannot imagine having any life without you being a part of it. Sounds crazy when I say it out loud, but it's the truth." Sam searched her dark brown, almost black eyes. "Xiùlán, I promise you that no matter what happens in future, wherever we go, whatever we do, no matter how many light years separate us, I will always…_always_…love you."

Xiùlán almost replied with a joke, but instantly changed her mind; it was obvious Sam was baring her soul just as she had bared her body. "I love you as well, Samantha Traynor. I don't think I realized until this very second how special you've become to me. I am sorry I scared you so badly on Monday…I should have used a different method." Xiùlán reached up between them, placed her fingers on her lover's cheeks and applied her lips to Sam's in a quick little kiss. "Time to get ready for classes, wǒ de ài…lots to do today."

Reluctantly, she untangled her legs as she playfully brought her hands down to fondle Sam's breasts. "I think I finally understand why men find boobies so fascinating, Sammy. They're nice to touch, to massage. Much more fun to play with yours than my own," she giggled.

Sam was enjoying the attention, but grabbed Xiùlán's hands and snarked, "Much more fun for _you_ means _much_ more horny for _me_, Luv! We'll be her all day if you don't stop, and damn! I can't believe _I'm_ being the responsible party here! Go on, get up. They're all yours tonight…hell, every night, I promise."

Xiùlán forced herself to release Sam and let her get up so she could use the toilet. Xiùlán unhurriedly stretched and rose from the bed. She straightened the covers, then performed her deep breathing exercises before beginning her Tai Chi movements.

Traynor opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom to see her lover out of bed; more intriguing to Sam was the sight of a still completely nude Xiùlán going through her exercise routine, a form of Tai Chi called _Neigong_. Watching her cross her arms in front of herself as she brought them up and stretched towards the overhead was making Sam horny all over again. With her arms up, Sam admired the woman's chiseled abs before Xiùlán leaned forward, bending at the waist to wrap her hands around her ankles.

As she returned to an upright posture, she brought her hands up and crossed her forearms in front of her, took a deep breath and exhaled it through her mouth.

She spotted Sam and smiled. "All done in there? Must be my turn." She took two more deep breaths, exhaled each through her mouth, then walked up to Sam and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "Since we are committed to each other, I will inquire about cohabitation accommodations for us…may even be able to get a larger space with a full bath. I'm going to add to your work load as well. No time this morning, but I want you to learn some form of Tai Chi. It'll be of great use to you in future."

"If you don't let me go so we can get dressed, our only future will be a one-way shuttle ride back to Earth." Sam kissed her, then smacked her butt and said, "Get going, xùnliàn zhě."

* * *

*** 2179/10/01 ***

In the 42 days since Xiùlán had consummated her love for Samantha Traynor, she had finally gained enough mastery over her omni-tool and knowledge of computer servers to enable her to hack into them, leave instructions or malicious code or both, access and extract sensitive information, and exit without leaving any trace of her intrusion or presence. Of all the recruits in their class, Xiùlán and Samantha were the only two people able to so completely dominate the computers and servers presented to them. Xiùlán knew Sam was the reason she herself could claim that mastery. It had taken many long evenings of instruction and coaching by Traynor for Xiùlán's efforts to finally bring her the success that came so easily to her lover's clever mind.

Unfortunately for the talented pair, their abilities had drawn some negative attention from the few people that were totally unsuccessful at electronics intrusion, namely, Joesiar and his minions, four guys (to call any of them 'men' did a disservice to the gender) whose very existence called into question the wisdom of natural selection.

Traynor, after not having seen Joesiar since first of the year due to changing class requirements, was confronted by him in a passageway before her first class after lunch; she had been walking fast and not paying a lot of attention to what was in front of her until Joesiar planted himself in her path, causing her to nearly collide with him. He roughly pushed her back and said, "Hey _bitch_, why don't you watch where'n'ell yer goin'?"

Fortunately for Sam, she was now a lot more knowledgeable about how to defend herself physically and mentally from bullies like the pale-eyed miscreant standing in front of her. She surreptitiously engaged her omnitool's audio recorder and answered in a condescending voice, "I'm sorry. Would it have been too much trouble for you to have walked on the other side of this 6-meter wide passageway?"

"Well now, yeah, it _woulda_ been too much trouble. Ya see, I don't think you belong here with decent folk," Joesiar said. "You an' dat fuckin' chink friend of yourn think you're so damned smart, acing all dem computer classes. Way I figure it, yer cheating to get dem scores. No one's dat good. Both'o'ya shoulda been booted out da nearest airlock on the way up here from Earth. Now yer breathin' air dat's rightfully mine, forcing me and my pals to breath what you exhale. I don't think dat's right, do you?"

Traynor chuckled. "You're joking, right? Joesiar, that's _really_ funny. I could swear you said…" Traynor laughed again in spite of herself, "…you 'think', not once, but twice. I find the concept of you?…thinking?…absolutely ludicrous, to say the least." She shook her head in disbelief as she chuckled again – the sound of it sending chills up Joesiar's weak spine, not that he'd admit it to anyone. "Too bad for you, Joesiar – I'm not scared of you, and I'm not going to back down…," she continued as she added a truly menacing tone to her voice, "…so get your goddamned ugly face the hell out of my personal space before I remove it for you."

Joesiar's face turned beet red as he looked at the minion standing behind her and said, "Grab her, Hobie. I'm gonna teach dis bitch a lesson in manners!"

Hobie decided he would take advantage of the opportunity and grab a handful of Traynor's breasts as he started to snake his hand over her left shoulder. What happened next made Hobie wish he'd never met Joesiar _or_ Traynor, as she swiftly bent forward at the waist while throwing her right leg backwards at the hip; this lifted Hobie off his feet as Traynor's lower leg flew up between his legs and made full contact with his nuts. As Hobie bent forward with an exclamation of surprised pain, Traynor swiftly jerked her right arm back and up into his face, breaking his nose with her elbow. He hollered something unintelligible as he grabbed his bloodied face with one hand, lost his balance and fell on his side, curled up in a ball holding his damaged gonads with his other hand. Traynor crossed her arms in front of her as she calmly returned her attention to Joesiar. Head tilted, one eyebrow raised questioningly, she asked in a voice still full of menace, "You were saying…?"

Joesiar proved his ability to think on his feet was virtually non-existent by rushing at Samantha with both arms raised and spread wide as if to grab her. She responded by leaping straight up in the air, arms positioned straight out to either side with hands partially folded towards her wrists, forefingers and thumbs extended, lower legs drawn up underneath her body in the form of a crane taking flight. As her hips came level with Joesiar's head, she lashed out with a brutal kick, striking him square in the chest with the sole of her right boot; the staggering impact halted his forward momentum and sent him back two steps as she touched down lightly in front of him.

Traynor's kick had been powerful enough to knock most people off their feet. Joesiar bent over for a moment, then stood back up just in time to catch Samantha's extensively practiced snapping three-punch combo full in the face. The first punch broke his nose, causing a rivulet of blood to begin trickling out of each nostril; her second punch hit him square in the mouth, resulting in more blood as his teeth cut the inside of his lips. The coup de grâce was an uppercut to his chin…this snapped his head back and dumped him on the floor as if he'd been a marionette with strings suddenly severed. Traynor brought her fists up to her chest, took a deep breath and released it, then lowered her arms to her sides.

She sent a speedy text to Xiùlán, then quickly shot several photos with her omni-tool; with the audio she'd recorded during their _conversation_, she felt she had more than enough to get Joesiar dropped from the program, _if_ she hadn't killed the bastard. She crouched next to his still form and used her omni-tool to check his life signs – he still had a pulse, so his hard head had saved him this time. She noticed blood on her knuckles as she put in a call for medical support, closed her tool and leaned against the corridor wall to slide to a squatting position, knees at her chin. Bringing her hands up to look at her knuckles, it didn't really surprise her to see blood on the backs of both. She grimaced as she attempted to make a fist with each hand…they were going to need some treatment. Better get an antibiotic shot as well…no telling what kind of germs were on Joesiar's face.

A crowd of recruits had already gathered when Xiùlán arrived; medics were preparing to transport Joesiar to the infirmary, along with a still bloody Hobe. "What the hell happened, Sam," Xiùlán asked in a voice full of concern. "Thought you were on your way to an omni-tool weapons class."

"Joesiar thought he'd teach some bitch a lesson…you think he was referring to _me_?" Sam asked innocently, then added, "Pretty disrespectful for an Alliance recruit, don't you think?"

Xiùlán looked at Joesiar's bloody face as the medics finished applying medi-gel and hauled his still unconscious form away on a stretcher; Hobe shuffled along pitifully in their wake. "You…did that?" Xiùlán pointed after the injured pair. "You actually dropped…both of them?" Shaking her head, she grinned and said, "You are certainly not the same Samantha Traynor I crashed into last December. Wángbā dàn!" [王八蛋！] She grabbed her friend and hugged her tight. "I am _so_ proud to call you my xuéshēng, Sammy! Gāisǐ de!" Xiùlán grabbed her friend's hands, felt the blood on her knuckles and drew back, alarmed. "Sēn měi, nǐ de zhǐ guānjié! [森美，你的指關節！– _Sammy, your knuckles!_] We need to get those injuries treated." Before Sam could answer, Xiùlán brought out a small container of medi-gel from a thigh pocket and applied a bit across the knuckles of each hand. "This'll help until you see the medic…," she said.

They were interrupted as their group lieutenant, Olivia McKenzie, walked past the still gathering crowd and stopped in front of Xiùlán. Sam and Xiùlán both snapped to attention and saluted. Returning the salutes, McKenzie observed, "Just what in the name of God's green Earth happened here, Serviceman? Looks like someone…," she paused to look around her at the walls and floor, "…or a couple of someones, lost a lot of blood!" Hands on hips, she glared at Xiùlán, waiting for an explanation. The surprised look on the lieutenant's face when Traynor moved past her friend to stand in front of her was priceless. Traynor activated her omni-tool and started speaking as the audio recording transferred to Lieutenant McKenzie's omni and the storage cell of Sam's own personal extranet account.

"I just sent you an audio recording of our conversation from the moment I apologized to Serviceman Joesiar for nearly running into him; I am also downloading the last fifteen minutes of the security cam video showing this passageway. Seems six meters isn't enough space for him to peacefully pass by someone walking in the opposite direction, Ma'am."

Several of the young women standing behind Sam snickered at this, drawing a 'hairy eyeball' look from McKenzie. Sam noticed a number of the women gathered here had previously been targets of Joesiar's racist and misogynistic taunts as she continued, "Joesiar expressed his unhappiness that I was breathing air he felt was rightfully his; he instructed his companion standing behind me to grab me so he could, quote, '_teach dis bitch a lesson in manners'_, end quote. His companion, Serviceman 3rd class Hobe, attempted to grab my breasts as he reached over my shoulder; his reward was possibly ruptured testicles and a broken nose, which is the source of the blood behind me."

Applause erupted around her at this, with much hushed discussion about men and pigs being cut from the same cloth. McKenzie raised a hand for silence as she asked, "How in hell did you obtain security cam footage…" she looked at her own omni-tool, "…from two cameras?"

"I hacked the servers, Ma'am."

"I don't expect the security chief will be pleased about that, Serviceman Traynor!" McKenzie replied huffily. "How in hell did you manage to hack into the system so fast?"

"Security doesn't know they've been hacked," Sam replied smoothly. "Part of my skill set…part of my course work. Only way they'll learn about it is if you report me."

McKenzie sighed in exasperation, then motioned for Traynor to continue.

"Serviceman Joesiar, having seen how inept his companion was at attempting to grab me, apparently concluded he could take me on without any help. His theory was flawed." The crowd of mostly women students, having grown in number to between thirty to thirty-five, laughed at Traynor's description of Joesiar's defective reasoning.

Traynor looked around her quickly, glanced at a grinning Xiùlán, then returned her gaze to Lieutenant McKenzie, who quietly inquired, "Don't you think your reactions were a bit extreme, Serviceman? You severely injured two fellow recruits."

Traynor could not contain her amazement. "What in 'ell would you have me do, _Ma'am_? Let Hobe get his jollies by playing with my tits while Joesiar slapped me around, beat me senseless, hurt me, maybe raped me?"

The women standing around could be heard unhappily murmuring amongst themselves as they all looked at the lieutenant; McKenzie looked back at several of those closest to her before attempting to answer Samantha's question. "No, of course not, Traynor, it's just…"

"…just what, Ma'am? My instructor tells me I don't need to have my ass handed to me, ever." The students surrounding them murmured in agreement. "And just so you know, Joesiar referred to my xùnliàn zhě [訓練者] – my Jing Quan Dao trainer, who just happens to be my dearest friend, as a 'chink'." Murmurs of disapproval could now be heard rippling through the students. "Joesiar picks on me…he picks on Yuán, on…" she looked about quickly and spotted the young woman she'd accompanied to the AG's office in January, "…Gonzales." Heather smiled as she looked at the lieutenant. "We're all different, one way or another, Ma'am. What do we have to do to get Joesiar discharged from the Alliance? We've filed multiple complaints with the AG's office all year with no results. The sonova droolin' whore does not belong here!"

Lieutenant McKenzie didn't like the tone of the conversations she could hear going on around her. "Ladies! Don't you all have someplace you need to be?"

Turning her attention back to Sam, she said, "Serviceman Traynor! Have your hands treated in the infirmary, then get to your next class. I'll talk to you later in private. Dismissed, all of you." McKenzie stood her ground as a number of the women battered her shoulders walking by her. Sighing heavily, she looked at Xiùlán, then at Samantha, turned and headed for her office.

Samantha was absolutely livid. "Goddammit, Xiùlán. Do I haffta fuckin' kill the miserable little pig-faced bastard?"

"Don't you dare! I saw him first," she grinned. "He's all mine, míngbáile ma?" Xiùlán grabbed Sam's shoulders. "I am so proud of you, Sà màn shā! We'll get him kicked out. It's past time, before we transfer out of this base. Now, let's get you to the infirmary, get your hands checked out. Then…I'm going to buy a pair of sparring gloves for you. Nǐ zuò dé hěn hǎo, sēn měi!" [你做得很好，森美 – _You have done well, Sammy_]

* * *

*** 2179/10/01 – 1752 ***

Traynor arrived at Lieutenant Olivia McKenzie's office, waved her hand past the door lock to activate the chime and waited. The door segments unlatched and hissed apart, sliding into their bulkhead receptacles as McKenzie absent-mindedly waved for Sam to enter.

As she took the six steps necessary to reach the lieutenant's desk, she started her audio recorder, then came to attention in front of the lieutenant's desk and saluted, holding it until McKenzie glanced up from the datapad she was studying.

"Stand easy, Traynor," McKenzie said as she returned the salute. "I want to talk to you about what happened this afternoon."

"Not sure what there is to talk about, Ma'am," Traynor replied, eyes focused straight ahead. "I believe the audio and video records speak for themselves."

"Well, Joesiar and Hobe's accounts differ - they both insist you instigated the fight. Joesiar wants to press charges against you." McKenzie leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. "As far as Joesiar is concerned, you attacked him for no reason."

Traynor broke her gaze at the far wall to stare at McKenzie in shock and disbelief. "Even with the recorded evidence?"

"He hasn't been made aware there _is_ recorded evidence," McKenzie replied. "You came damned close to killing him this afternoon, Traynor…thank you for _not_ following through, by the way. As for Hobe…" the lieutenant grinned in spite of herself, "…he may very well be singing soprano for the next few weeks." McKenzie paused, studied her datapad, then continued. "I don't think I've ever seen a three-punch combo landed with such precision and speed. And the way you kicked Joesiar when he came at you?…that move is _certainly_ not part of the core curriculum. In fact, nothing I saw in that footage is being taught on this base, Traynor. Where in hell did you learn such lethal hand-to-hand combat training."

"My personal trainer. She's been schooling me in Jing Quan Dao, or _Way of the Alert Fist._ She's also…"

"_She_, Serviceman?" McKenzie interrupted. "I wasn't aware we had female combat instructors on staff."

"_She's_ a student as well, Ma'am…teaches me how to fight, how to defend myself against personal attack. I instruct her in all things electronic…using her omni-tool for computer hacking, code breaking and the like. It's a mutually beneficial partnership."

"I see." McKenzie picked up her datapad, scrolled though the information displayed. "Ah, SC1 Xiùlán. She's _your_ instructor?"

"Yes Ma'am, SC1 _Yuán_…Yuán Xiùlán," Sam responded. "Xiùlán is her given name. Family name is listed before given name in China, Ma'am."

"I think I understand how you learned to fight in such a vicious manner, Traynor. No one in this entire facility wants to be Yuán's opponent. We can't even bring opponents in from other races – the asari she fought is still having trouble breathing through her nose. I have it on good authority Yuán fights on 'auto-pilot'…enters into some kind of detached state, almost trance-like…never any wasted effort. Totally merciless."

Traynor chuckled. "Not totally, Ma'am. She's left all her opponents alive…,"_ 'including me' _Sam thought back to the powerful hand gripping her throat not so many weeks ago. "…so far. She's an…interesting…woman." Traynor said this last in a soft, contemplative voice.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, Traynor. You and…Yuán…have been filing complaints about Joesiar since you arrived in January. How do you think it's going to look to Alliance brass…you kicking this guy's ass now, just before your class is due to transfer to your next training venue?"

"We don't believe Joesiar should even _be_ in the Alliance, Ma'am. If you've read the complaints we've been filing, then you are more than aware of the reasons." Traynor fixed McKenzie with a steely glare as she continued, "Joesiar needs to be discharged before we transfer. The only reason he's even _in_ the Alliance at all is his uncle – Major General Bradley Joesiar."

McKenzie sat back in her chair, a look of surprise on her face. "How do you know about Joesiar's connection to the major general? That's not common knowledge."

"_Really_, Ma'am? Of all the people in this program, none are here because of how well they happen to be connected, except Joesiar and his so called friends Hobe, Tatum and Rosemont. None of _them_ would be able to pass the aptitude test Xiùlán or I or the rest of the women here took to gain admission…hell, I doubt the four of them working _together_ would be able to comprehend the questions." Samantha paused to gather her thoughts. "The last three pukes are simply followers, Ma'am, misogynistic bullies. Joesiar is the real problem…he's an ill-bred, narrow-minded xenophobe. Can you imagine him working with turians…perhaps with F'lar'Jid?…she has a low enough opinion of humans anyway. Meeting Joesiar would put the icing on _our_ cake for her."

"Okay, Traynor, you've made your point. How are we going to resolve this situation?"

"Convene a formal hearing, Ma'am. Request an adjudicator from Earth, someone unfamiliar with the situation here," Traynor responded. "By the time it can all be arranged, Joesiar's face shouldn't be so black and blue. _And_ we cannot allow him or his friends to learn of the video and audio we have – I want that to be a '_shove it down your throat' _kind of surprise for him, a '_nail in the coffin'_ for his enlistment in the Systems Alliance."

"Okay, Traynor. I'll start the ball rolling," McKenzie said. "Shouldn't be too difficult to prove your case. By the way, how're you hands?"

"They'll be fine, Ma'am. Xiùlán treated them for me. She'll work on them again this evening."

McKenzie looked uncomfortable as she started to ask, "Traynor, forgive me for asking…are you and…"

"…Xiùlán in a relationship?" Traynor finished for her.

"Yes. You don't _have_ to answer that, Traynor, and I don't mean to make you uncomfortable…no judgment, okay?" McKenzie explained. "I just think that, if the two of you are…well…," McKenzie didn't finish her thought, but Sam could guess where this was going.

"If Xiùlán and I _are_ in a relationship, it could hurt our chances of getting Joesiar kicked out of the Alliance?"

"Something like that," McKenzie looked down at her desk, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"Let's just say I'm not ashamed of my life choices, Ma'am, and leave it there for now," Traynor replied with a smile. "I'll be happy to talk to you further when we're ready to ship out, okay?"

"Okay, Serviceman. I'll keep you in the loop regarding a hearing date. Dismissed."

* * *

_A/N: Joesiar receives his first (very painful) lesson regarding female soldiers, Samantha Traynor in particular. He doesn't know it, but Xiùlán would probably have killed him and Hobe. Thanks for visiting! Fav, follow, review. _


	7. The Hearing

_Stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop _– Laurell K. Hamilton,_ The Laughing Corpse_

* * *

_A/N: This chapter deals with one of the things I am leaving largely unsaid, namely, racial insults. I have purposely confined insulting terms to Xiùlán (Chinese) and Samantha (mixed Indian and British), as they are my main characters. Joesiar's racism and misogyny knows no bounds; if someone is not a 'white' North American male, assume the worst about him, then double that for good measure. Representatives from every human 'race' and both genders are in Xiùlán's class; I only mention them in passing (like Heather Gonzales) as they interact with my two protagonists. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

*** BASE DINING HALL — 2179/10/01, 1835 ***

Xiùlán carried her tray to the table, set it down and took a seat next to Traynor after setting her shoulder bag on the bench beside her. "How you doing, sēn měi. What happened in McKenzie's office?" She unwrapped and separated the included disposable chop sticks and began eating as she used her left hand to hold her bowl under her chin.

"She's going to call for a hearing…ask for an adjudicator from Earth so we have a chance to get Joesiar kicked out of the program, maybe Hobe too," Sam responded before sipping her iced tea. "What do you have on your tray? Smells kinda spicy."

"Just some Shanghainese stir-fried vegetables," Xiùlán replied between bites. "It's really good, and my stomach thinks my throat's been cut." She took a couple more bites before continuing, "I think you're smelling the ginger and garlic – maybe the red onion. You ought to try it…it's really nicely done, considering it came out of an institutional kitchen." She paused to drink some of her own iced tea before continuing, "Does McKenzie think we even have a chance?"

Sam ignored her friend's question. "Just so you know," Traynor complained, "_any _time you have food cooked with garlic, _I_ get to experience it as well. You _do_ know you sweat the stuff,_ right?"_

"Okay, Sam, just so _I_ know for my own information, are we having a disagreement here?" Xiùlán asked. "Because if we _are_, I need to know if that means our honeymoon is over."

"What!? No! Where in 'ell did _that_ come from!? I was just making an observation, and I…" Traynor paused as she saw the suppressed grin and the twinkle in Xiùlán's eyes.

"Got you!" Xiùlán triumphed. "I swear, sometimes you are just _so_ damned easy! I mean, well, you're 'easy' every night of the week, but that's another thing altogether; right now, it's like…"

"Dammit, Xiùlán, you are going to be _really_ sorry when I have a seizure or a stroke or a heart attack from all your jokin' around," Traynor said in mock exasperation. "I never know when to take you seriously anymore."

Xiùlán took another bite of her veggies and said in a solemn voice, "I _am_ being serious right now, Samantha – I…love…_you_. Don't _ever_ think for a moment that _that_ will ever change." Xiùlán wanted to kiss her, but couldn't do so here. "Now, what about McKenzie?"

Samantha fixed Xiùlán with a cold stare that quickly warmed. "Dammit, Xiùlán. You are so _impossible_ sometimes." Traynor chuckled. "I love you, too. And McKenzie believes we _do_ have a good chance of getting the results we want." Sam paused before continuing. "She _did_ start to ask me about _us_. She thinks if it becomes known you and I are in a relationship, it could lessen our chances of getting Joesiar kicked out of the Alliance."

"Hhhhmmm…," Xiùlán made a sound around her chop sticks as she took another mouthful of veggies. "Just how _did_ you take them down, wǒ de ài?" she asked. "I didn't receive a copy of the video you purloined from security."

"I'm so sorry – here…" Traynor activated her omni-tool and sent a copy of the audio and video to Yuán's omni… "McKenzie said she'd never seen any moves like what I used to take those two idiots down today. She _did_ thank me for not killing Joesiar, by the way." Traynor chuckled as Xiùlán took a look at the footage without the audio. "Not sure that was an intentional error on my part, or if Joesiar's concrete skull saved him." She paused as she examined her hands. "I'm going to need some more first-aid on these knuckles, in any event."

"Let me see them…" Yuán set her bowl on the table and gently took Traynor's hands, looking intently at the injured knuckles on each. "Looks like those on the left are in worse shape than those on the right…understandable, since you hit 'im in the mouth with your left. We'll treat them again tonight…should heal without any problems. Keep flexing your fingers so they don't stiffen up." Xiùlán returned her attention to Sam's story as she picked up her bowl to finish eating. "You tell her who your trainer is?"

"She asked, since she's sure nothing she saw me do is part of the 'official' core curriculum taught here. She said she understands how I learned to fight so viciously…said _no one_ wants to go toe-to-toe with _you_." Traynor paused for a moment to finish her tea. "That asari you tossed around? She's still having trouble breathing through her nose. McKenzie says you fight on 'auto-pilot'…that you enter into some sort of detached state, a trance, like you're outside your body. 'Totally merciless', she called you." Sam paused, then added, "I told her you hadn't actually _killed_ anyone…"

Xiùlán looked thoughtful. "There may be a bit of truth to what she said, Sēn měi." She finished off her meal, using a bit of bread to sop up the last bit of soy sauce. "Looking at this video? It appears to me you're learning to fight as I do…look at this." Xiùlán brought her arm around in front of Sam and replayed the video from the point where Sam had put Hobe on the deck. "Watch your face and body as you jump straight up…you're focused…form nearly perfect…no distractions. The kick occurs at the perfect time to have the maximum effect on Joesiar." Xiùlán 'stepped' through the video footage a frame at a time. "When Joesiar came at you, your reaction was automatic, wasn't it? You didn't have to think about it, didn't have to analyze it, did you? I haven't had a chance to see you in action against a live opponent…but…see here? You look to be in a trance-like state, and you've developed some _real_ speed! All your punches 'snapped', just like you've been instructed; the second and third punch each connect with such _precision_!" Pointing to several frames of video after Joesiar was down, Xiùlán gloated, "See _this?_ Look! Fists together in front of your chest, a deep breath, then lowering your arms? That's _you_ breaking out of _your_ trance, Shānmǔ! That cannot be taught, by me, by anyone! It's something you have to be born with!"

Traynor blushed furiously and looked down at the table. To be the recipient of such praise from this woman meant more to her than she could say, particularly after all the slights and put-downs she'd endured from other people in the recent past.

Xiùlán studied her protégée closely. "You keep improving your skills and gaining strength like you have these past months, you'll _never_ be the one leaving a fight injured, of that I'm sure! You have a natural ability, Chǒng'ér! Zuò dé hǎo!" […, 宠儿！做得好！-_ Darling! Well done!_]

"Thanks, Xiùlán. Means a lot to hear you say that. Don't know what I'd have done today without your training," she said modestly.

Xiùlán's smile turned grim. "I expect it would have been _you_ being taught a lesson, just like Joesiar wanted." Shutting down her omni-tool, she continued, "Come on, let's shove off. Need to get back to our quarters…generate a list of complainants for the hearing."

* * *

*** 2187/10/05 ***

Yuán Xiùlán had been learning the intricacies of communication at the quantum level, a science still in its infancy among humans. The asari and turians were somewhat further along in manufacturing parts and building the equipment needed to transmit and receive messages in this nascent technology, but humankind was rapidly gaining ground after several significant breakthroughs. Installations of all new quantum entanglement communicators (QEC's) at the military headquarters of each Alliance colony were being completed as rapidly as possible; Alliance Navy flagships were being retrofitted as well, and new hulls would have QEC's as standard equipment. All the installed pairs would be located at a central facility within Arcturus Station; during an attack, a facility or fleet would signal Arcturus to transmit its information to every other fleet and colony. Unfortunately, destruction of the comm center at Arcturus would collapse the entire network.

Yuán's introduction to this technology would have been extremely difficult without the extra tutoring she received each evening from Samantha Traynor. As for Sam, she had three fingertips – one on her right hand, two on her left – healing from a procedure to implant sub-miniature cybernetic accelerometers; not knowing how fast she'd heal from the procedures, she had chosen to have only three fingers implanted. Once all her fingertips were so augmented, she'd no longer need to wear the special gloves otherwise needed to interact with Haptic interfaces. Xiùlán's comments about this had been generally positive, since Sam would no longer need to swap sparring gloves for 'Haptic' gloves in order to operate an interface.

Sam's workouts on the heavy bag had been curtailed to facilitate her healing, so time she would have spent punching the bag was being used in strength training to build muscle and mass, particularly in her arms, shoulders and legs. Traynor hadn't told Xiùlán, but she hoped to have her body on par with her lover's by the time they deployed to Mars. Having nightly intimate contact with Xiùlán's arms (particularly her forearms) and legs were a constant progress gauge for Sam.

Unknown to Xiùlán, Sam had a secret weapon…she'd hacked the base environmental computers in early May, granting her the ability to quickly modify the artificial gravity generators for any area she happened to be working in. In order to shorten the time it would take for her to develop her muscle mass to a point equal or in excess of Xiùlán's, Sam had been gradually increasing the gravity correction over time in whatever area she was using, from Earth normal to 1.85 to 1.95 that of Earth. Working out in a higher-G environment had been quite tiring until she got used to it, at which point she would increase the setting another tenth. She'd almost been caught by McKenzie once recently - the lieutenant had made an unannounced entry into the exercise area she shared with Xiùlán; fortunately, Sam had been able to quickly dial the gravity back to its normal setting.

She had just finished taking a relaxing shower after her late afternoon workout; dialing the artificial gravity up to 2.1 times that of Earth had left her totally drained. She'd have to get Xiùlán to massage her neck and shoulders once back in her quarters.

Traynor was towel-drying her newly short cropped hair when Heather Gonzales entered the room, accompanied by several of the other recruits Sam and Xiùlán had been helping with their harassment complaints; with a smiling "Hi, Traynor!", she selected a locker and began removing her sweaty exercise clothes. "Any more news on a hearing against Joesiar?"

Sam walked over to stand beside her, leaned against a bank of lockers and replied, "Hearing's scheduled nine days from today – mid-morning, fourteenth of October. Alliance is flying an adjudicator here from Vancouver. Don't know any more than that. You ready to help us get the miserable little húndàn dropped from the program?"

"Whatever you need us to do, Samantha," Gonzales enthusiastically replied as she looked around at her companions. "His removal from the program has taken too long…it'll be nice to get on with our training without being distracted by his constant insults, innuendo and abuse."

"Wait, _what?_" Sam answered in a pissed off tone as she unconsciously balled up her fists. "He actually abused you? Physically?"

Heather, her cheeks flushing pink as she thought back on the many times she'd been the subject of Joesiar's verbal assaults, responded quickly, "Oh, no…nothing like that. I didn't tell you about anything much after you helped me file my report in January…thought that was all I needed to do. It was all verbal, but it still cut just as bad as anything he could have done to me or the rest of us physically."

Sam placed a hand on Heather's shoulder. "Did you record any of it?"

"Much as I could. Do you think it will help?"

"Send me the files, Heather – copy Yuán when you do." Looking up at the rest of the women that had entered with Heather, she added, "Rest of you, if you have anything we haven't previously reported, please send it to us! Anything you have on the 'effing little pig will be a welcome addition to our arsenal."

"Will do, Sam…thanks." Heather removed her sweatpants and socks, then stood to pull her sweatshirt over her head. Turning towards the bank of full-length mirrors, she noticed their reflections as she started to remove her sports bra and gasped as what she was seeing dawned on her. "¡Maldita Sea! Traynor! What have you been doing to yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Sam queried as she studied their side-by-side reflections.

"Your…body! Your arms and legs, your abs! I don't remember you looking so…so…physically intimidating!" Heather made a show of looking at her own arms as a comparison to Sam's. "I didn't realize massive muscles were needed for being a computer and communications tech. Is there something else about you the rest of us should know?"

Sam sighed. Looking at her reflection…comparing herself to Heather, to the other women in the room, provided visual proof she now looked more like a bulked up marine instead of a navy computer tech. She brought her arms up together in front of her chest, hands at neck level. "Xiùlán's been training me in hand-to-hand combat…felt I needed a bit more muscle for what she was asking me to do." She moved to stand beside Heather as she dropped her arms to her side. Her arms _were_ larger, the muscles well defined; her forearms actually appeared to be larger than Heather's upper arms. "Truth be known, I haven't paid that much attention. Been seriously working out since February or so…she's teaching me so I don't have to worry about the likes of Joesiar and his minions."

"You hit Joesiar with the benefit of _those_ arms?" Heather asked in disbelief. "Traynor, you're lucky he survived; good thing for him as well, I guess!"

"I suppose so," Sam mused as she pulled on her duty uniform and gathered her supplies. "Miserable little troll wants to bring charges against me…claims I hit him and Hobe for no reason." Traynor grinned as she turned to leave. "He's in for one 'ellova surprise at the hearing."

* * *

* …LATER THAT EVENING… *

As far as Xiùlán was concerned, Sam had grown tremendously as a person, physically and mentally, since they'd met less then a year ago – there was now a toughness to her demeanor that had not been apparent when they first met and her self-confidence had increased hand-in-hand with her developing physique. Xiùlán noted with quiet pride how well defined the muscles in her legs and arms had become; indeed, her entire body was most impressively sculpted. Xiùlán had just finished working the kinks out of Sam's shoulders and neck when she innocently asked, "Have you looked at yourself in a full-length mirror lately, Sēn měi?"

"Just an occasional glance in the shower area…why do you ask?" Sam knew full-well the reason for Xiùlán's inquiry – she had taken a good long look at herself in comparison to Heather and some of the other women while talking to Gonzales after her shower earlier.

Xiùlán fixed Sam with an intent look…something that usually made her uncomfortable. "You're hiding something from me, Qíngrén," she said in an accusatory voice as she pulled Sam towards her and hugged her tightly. "Tell me what you've been doing," she added quietly as she dropped her hands with fingers spread to Sam's butt and pressed. "Jíshǐ shì jīròu zài zhèlǐ, qīn'ài de." [即使是肌肉在這裡，親愛的。- _Even muscle here, dear_.]

Sam returned her lover's hug, kissed her cheek and replied in a low whisper, "If it's computer controlled…," Sam nibbled on Xiùlán's earlobe, "…I can hack it, Luv. Gravity generators…," Sam nuzzled Xiùlán's neck at her jaw line, "…can be programmed past 1-G. I've been working out…," pulling back slightly to gaze into Xiùlán's eyes, "…at 1.8 to 1.9 G's these past two months." She finished in an innocent schoolgirl voice, "Does it show?"

Xiùlán's look of surprise gave way to understanding and approval. "I would never have thought of that, Sēn měi! I just accepted that gravity inside these structures was 'Earth normal'; never gave a second thought to us being on the moon. So, anyone else know about this?"

Sam giggled as she recalled nearly getting caught by the lieutenant. "Walked right in on me. Fortunately, I had the gravity field set to 'ramp up' from the door…gave me a chance to dial the room down to normal. She never said a word about it…I think she was more focused on updating our request for a hearing."

"…And?"

"Oh! Nearly forgot. Hearing's scheduled for the fourteenth of October, mid-morning. Adjudicator's being flown up from Earth. Hope he…or she, is a real hard-ass."

"That's only nine days away, Sammy…you think we're ready?"

Traynor pulled away from her friend, answering, "Ready as we'll _ever_ be, Luv. We've filed more than enough complaints, starting with yours back in January. We just have to make sure we stick to the facts…getting emotional will only work against us. Women in the Marines and Navy are always being criticized for being too emotional; personally, I think our willingness to wear our feelings on our sleeves makes us better humans." Sam paused, then added, "Gonzales and her friends are sending us a bunch of recordings; all are proof that Joesiar places a high value on being an equal opportunity misogynistic racist and xenophobe."

"Let's get back to you…let me see your arms." Xiùlán grabbed Sam's right forearm and gently stroked the skin from elbow to wrist. After exploring her left forearm in a similar fashion, she said, "You _have_ done well, qíngrén. I almost feel sorry for _anyone_ that attempts to lay a hand on you." Dark eyes looked at Sam intently. "Do you believe me when I say what happened to you in college would be an impossibility today?"

Sam gazed back into caring brown eyes. "There were five of them, luv…I don't…"

"…I _do_ know, Sam. You have a gift! Today, you could easily handle _twice_ their number, and I would not be surprised to learn that one or two had died of their injuries. You have learned your lessons well, _but_ there is still _much_ for you to learn. You need to learn how to permanently stop batarians, turians, krogan, asari and salarians, to name the major races. Of those, knowledge of batarian and turian physiology will be most useful. Some krogan and all asari possess biotic ability…chances of getting close enough to either one would be slight, but _any_ knowledge about them is better than none."

* * *

– 2179/10/11, MONDAY AFTERNOON –

Samantha Traynor closed her eyes and massaged her temples between thumb and fingers of her left hand. She had been compiling evidence of Joesiar's unrelentingly hurtful put downs and abuse, all directed towards at least ten other students in her class. It appeared that virtually all of the abuse was directed at the female recruits – Joesiar was careful in choosing targets for his malicious brand of verbal cruelty; it appeared he, like most bullies, was a coward through and through, so wouldn't criticize any of the heavily built men taking this course out of fear for his own physical safety.

Sam returned her attention to the glowing screen of the monitor in front of her. The litany of insults Joesiar had levied at classmates was difficult to believe. Most centered on peoples' racial heritage; the relative darkness of each woman's skin compared to his own (pasty-faced white) increased the likelihood of being targeted. Bi-racial women (such as Heather Gonzales and herself) merited a special brand of insults. Joesiar seemed to particularly enjoy referring to Sam as a 'kuthi', [_female dog - bitch - in Punjabi and Hindi _] or a 'half-caste' [_generally pronounced by Joesiar as 'half-assed'_ ]. These were mild in comparison to some of the slurs he'd used to describe Gonzales and a few other women in the group. Joesiar apparently didn't care for _any_ woman being in the program, regardless of their racial makeup…a blonde might be referred to as a 'ditz'; he variously referred to others as 'WAP', 'maggots', 'hicks', 'snakes', 'Whiskey Tango', 'rubes', and other, coarser names.

She carefully arranged the audio tracks by time and date, alphabetized by last name, then copied the entire file to several data pads for the upcoming hearing. It was entirely possible they wouldn't need to be used, but Traynor and Xiùlán wanted to be sure they had covered everything.

* * *

* ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING ROOM, 2179/10/14, 0930 *

"All rise," the guard snapped to attention as a door opened behind the long desk. "General RaeLee Park presiding."

Yuán Xiùlán was sitting three rows from the rear of the chamber. It appeared their reports, their complaints of Joesiar's actions since her training mission had apparently reached the right person. Xiùlán had done a background check on this general as soon as she learned her name; General Park was Vancouver BC born of Korean ancestry and seriously disliked ethnic and racially biased people, believing the Alliance had more than enough problems dealing with turian dislike and batarian hatred of humanity. She set several data pads on the table in front of her chair, looked around the room once, then sat down.

"You may be seated," she said in a quiet voice; she waited until everyone had taken their seats and the room was quiet before continuing. "We are holding this hearing as a result of a number of disturbing allegations received during the past ten months regarding Serviceman Second Class Joesiar; we need to determine if the serviceman was incorrectly chosen for training in this Tactical Stealth Infiltration program."

Park addressed Serviceman 2nd Class Joesiar's advocate. "Staff Lieutenant Brandon Steele. SC2 Joesiar has been accused by a number of female recruits of making sexist comments, calling fellow recruits hateful, mean-spirited names, and of particular interest to this hearing, racism. You have read the particulars in the reports outlining the accusations. Do you, or SC2 Joesiar, have anything to say regarding these allegations?"

Lieutenant Steele stood and placed both hands on the table. "Serviceman 2nd Class Joesiar denies all allegations, characterizing them as vicious lies, fabricated from a desire to see him removed from this program, and ultimately discharged from the Alliance Navy. Further, he wishes to bring charges of his own against Serviceman Third Class Samantha Traynor, service number 8256-DH-7968, for initiating an unprovoked assault on his person and that of a companion on the early afternoon of oh-one October, resulting in severe facial injuries to Mister Joesiar and said companion."

"First things first, Lieutenant." She held a hand up as the lieutenant started to interrupt. "At this time, Lieutenant, motion to bring charges against Serviceman Traynor will be deferred until later." General Park motioned to the guard behind her, who stepped forward and requested Serviceman Yuán Xiùlán come forward; Xiùlán walked to the empty table on the right side of the hearing room and came to attention.

Park looked at Yuán and said, "For the record, Serviceman, please state your name, rank, and service number."

"Yuán Xiùlán, Serviceman First Class, 8257-PVG-09186, Ma'am."

"Have a seat, Yuán." The general selected one of the tablets in front of her and entered several commands on the interface. "This is a recording from a training exercise completed 277 days ago on live-fire course Charlie-seven, made by SC1 Yuán's hardsuit computer." Looking at Steel and Joesiar, she added, "I am sure you will recognize the voice of SC2 Joesiar."

Park played the recording from the time Xiùlán had jumped into the space previously occupied by the sniper VI until after Xiùlán had made the repair to Joesiar's suit and they were headed back to base. Drilling the Serviceman with her eyes, she addressed Lieutenant Steel, "Sounds to me SC2 Joesiar doesn't like Chinese people, or did I mistakenly hear him call SC1 Yuán a 'chink', use the derogatory term 'Chop stick' in place of her name, refer to her native tongue as 'chinee' _and_ the color of her skin, not once, but twice? And seriously, '_chinker bell'?_"

Lieutenant Steele promptly stood and replied, "SC2 Joesiar was joking in all the instances you heard, Ma'am."

General Park shifted her steely gaze to the lieutenant, who slowly sat down as she responded in a voice that could not only freeze water, but sublimate CO2, "If he was joking, Lieutenant, why did I _not_ hear any laughter from the complainant?"

"Serviceman 2nd Class Joesiar is not a racist, General. He could not have remained in the Alliance Marines this long if he…"

"…didn't have an uncle in the upper echelons of Alliance Command?" General Park finished for him. "Major General Bradley Joesiar has been covering for his nephew ever since he enlisted, Lieutenant. I can cite several instances of SC2 Joesiar escaping punishment for his racism and misogyny. As for _this_ hearing, there are a number of recruits in attendance today that will testify to similarly insulting behavior towards them."

Lieutenant Steele leaned over to whisper something to Joesiar, then returned his attention to the general. "We request a ten-minute recess to confer, General."

"Denied, Lieutenant. We just got started…why interrupt the continuity of this proceeding, unless SC2 Joesiar is willing to concede and have me render judgment?" Hearing no objection from Steele, Park looked back over to Yuán as she asked a question of Steele. "Looking at Yuán's face, Lieutenant, do you detect any yellow in her skin tone?"

There was a short, uncomfortable pause as Steele studied Yuán's face; she, in turn, had turned to face him and coolly gazed back at him, causing him to drop his eyes in embarrassment before turning back to Park and answering, "Impossible to say, as she appears to be wearing makeup, Ma'am."

"Seriously, Lieutenant?" Park was outraged. "I'm the product of a bi-racial marriage myself, something to which your client seems to strongly object, if all the complaints I've read about him are even half true." Park took the unusual step of directly addressing Joesiar. "Serviceman, my facial features are not too dissimilar from Yuán's, and I am not wearing makeup of any kind. Would you say my skin tone appears yellow?"

Joesiar looked up from the table he'd been staring at for the past thirty minutes; Yuán was not surprised that his usually pasty complexion was partially colored by a large area of bluish-to-purple bruises, particularly on his mouth and chin and around both eyes, which were swollen. There was a large bandage affixed across the bridge of his nose, also bruised; Traynor had really nailed him! He fixed a look of utter contempt on the general as he grunted something through his teeth.

"The serviceman's jaw is wired closed as a result of the unprovoked assault I mentioned at the beginning of this hearing, Ma'am," Steel answered for Joesiar.

"Off the record, Lieutenant, the fact he is unable to speak will probably work in his favor today. Looks as if he may have insulted the wrong person," Park replied.

Steel glanced at Joesiar, then returned his attention to General Park. "As I said, we wish to file charges against SC2 Traynor."

"All in good time, Lieutenant. Now, as to skin color, I will answer my own question. I believe SC1 Yuán's skin color is no different than my own. I also see virtually no difference, with the exception of three or four people…," she looked at the people in attendance, "…who _may_ have their ancestry tied to parts of the African continent, the islands in the Pacific Ocean, maybe even Central or South America. I am unable to discern from _anyone's_ facial features their intelligence, capacity to learn or their ability to serve in the Systems Alliance."

Park returned her attention to Xiùlán. "SC1 Yuán. Of all the complaints the AG's office received on this matter, yours was the first one filed, and is the only one you have filed. Do you have anything else to add to this report?"

Yuán stood and said, "I believe the recording says it all, Ma'am. As for complaints, that was the only time I was paired up with Serviceman Joesiar."

"Thank you, Serviceman. You are excused," Park said with a kind smile, then motioned to the guard standing behind her, who requested Heather Gonzales to come forward.

Once sworn in, Heather took the chair vacated by Xiùlán. General Park played several excerpts of exchanges between Gonzales and Joesiar, then turned to Heather and asked, "Why would you record these conversations, Miss Gonzales?"

Heather looked straight at General Park and responded without hesitation, "Advice from a friend, Ma'am."

"Was Mister Joesiar aware the recordings were taking place?"

"No, Ma'am. There would have been no point in recording what was being said if he knew about it."

"Very well. I noticed that a number of these were not submitted through the AG's office prior to this hearing. Reasons?"

"I filed my first complaint in January, shortly after Serviceman Yuán and Serviceman Traynor filed their reports." Heather glanced at Steele, then returned her gaze to General Park. "Honestly, I truly believed Alliance brass would simply ignore my complaints. I continued to record the verbal abuse, thinking that someone, somewhere up the chain would eventually listen to me."

Park replied, "The Alliance can be a bit slow in these matters, Serviceman, but the AG's office takes _every_ allegation of this kind most seriously. Is there anything else you would like to add for the record?"

"Ma'am, I have been a member of the Alliance Navy for just over a year, encountered a lot of people from all over the world plus colonies. My right to belong in the Navy was never questioned, my performance capabilities as a woman, my parentage? Never an issue with anyone until I came to this base. I believe Serviceman Joesiar's education to be the product of late nineteenth and early twentieth century thinking, Ma'am, and totally out of place within this organization."

"Thank you, Miss Gonzales. You are excused."

General Park had the guard call the next complainant…

* * *

* 1330 *

After a break for lunch, General RaeLee Park returned to her desk, spent a few moments shuffling through the datapads in front of her before finding and extracting the one she needed. Without bothering to talk to the guard, she looked into the group of people sitting before her and said, "Serviceman Third Class Samantha Traynor, please come forward."

Sam jumped when her name was called, then looked at Xiùlán, who simply smiled and nodded; Traynor hadn't expected to be called today, as there were other women that came ahead of her alphabetically. She got up and walked to the table where Xiùlán and Heather had given their testimony, stood by the empty chair and came to attention.

Park said, "For the record, Serviceman, please state your name, rank, and service number."

"Traynor, Samantha, Serviceman Third Class, 8256-DH-7968, Ma'am."

"Thank you, Miss Traynor. Have a seat." Park activated her data pad and studied the information slowly scrolling up the screen. "It appears you have a singular aptitude for electronic intrusion, including the ability to hack secure databases without leaving a trace. Did you use this ability on the afternoon of one October?"

"I did, Ma'am," Sam replied quietly.

"To what purpose, Miss Traynor?" Park wanted to know.

"In order to provide visual proof, along with my omni-tool recording, of the event that transpired on that afternoon," Traynor responded.

"This event to which you refer…it is the reason I'm sitting here today, is it not?"

"Yes Ma'am, it is," Traynor answered.

"Before we view the video from the security system you hacked," Park replied, "can you explain why you have been training in the art of Jing Quan Dao?"

"I was physically assaulted once during my freshman year in college and lacked the knowledge needed to defend myself," Traynor answered. "Serviceman Yuán offered to train me in hand-to-hand combat in exchange for my instructing her in computer server intrusion and quantum communications, subjects that were even difficult for me to master."

Park looked at her data pad intently for a moment before observing, "Your record shows you have a BSc in Physics, specializing in Astrophysics; you also studied Math and Computer Science, and took a minor in applied Mathematics and Statistics with an emphasis on analysis." Park looked up from the readouts and fixed Traynor with a steely gaze. "Miss Traynor, you graduated from Oxford University near the top of your class. With that kind of background, I would be surprised if you couldn't fly from here to Charon and back using nothing but dead reckoning." Park looked for and found the data pad with Yuán's information from the morning session. "It would appear that Miss Yuán began receiving higher scores in the applied sciences around March of this year. Is that when you began her tutoring?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"…and that would also be when you started your physical training, correct?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"I have seen this video footage, Miss Traynor; Yuán's personnel record from her time here shows that no one wishes to meet her on the mat…I believe the expression is 'toe-to-toe'? In the eight to nine months she has been training you, it appears she has transformed you into an image of herself. I still have a difficult time believing you have learned to be so…I don't know…," she waved a hand in the air, "…brutally efficient." Park turned to the guard and told him to run the video.

As the video began, Lieutenant Steele's mouth dropped open for a moment before he stood and loudly said, "Objection! We were not made aware a record of this incident existed. Serviceman Joesiar is the injured party here…I mean, look at his face!"

"Your objection is duly noted, Lieutenant, and it is overruled! Sit down, watch and learn," Park replied.

With an air of resignation, Lieutenant Steele retook his seat and leaned back, whispering to Joesiar as he did so. They both watched and listened as the confrontation between Joesiar and Traynor unfolded, beginning with Traynor's apology to Joesiar, his reply concerning _'his'_ air, his instructions for Hobe to grab her so he could _'teach d__is bitch a lesson in manners!'_ and Hobe's misguided attempt to grab Traynor's breasts, all viewed from over Joesiar's shoulder; the vantage point then shifted to a view from over Traynor's shoulder, showing her viciously dropping Hobe to the floor, Joesiar's subsequent attempt to grapple with her, the impact of her boot in his chest and the triple snap-punch that knocked him down.

General Park had the guard 'step' through the footage a frame at a time so everyone could see her individual punches land on Joesiar's face – her arms were a blur of motion within each frame of video; it appeared the third punch she landed was probably superfluous, as Joesiar appeared to be unconscious after being hit by Traynor's second punch.

There was quiet murmuring among the women sitting around Xiùlán and Heather, which quickly disappeared with a look from General Park. "Miss Traynor, I have never seen two people taken down in such a precise manner. Your instructor should be proud of you."

Park shifted her attention to Steele and Joesiar. "So Lieutenant, in light of this audio and video evidence, does Serviceman Joesiar still wish to bring charges against Serviceman Traynor?"

Steele leaned over to whisper something to Joesiar; returning his attention to General Park, he said, "We request a fifteen-minute recess to confer, General."

"Take twenty, Lieutenant. Just make sure you're ready for the hammer to drop when we reconvene." The guard said, "All rise," as General Park rose from her chair, picked up her data pads and left by the door behind her.

Traynor rose from her table and turned to look for Xiùlán. As she did, Joesiar made a point of walking up to her and muttering through his wired shut jaws, "Ya 'uckin' 'rown-skin 'itch! Ya jus' cos' 'e uh c'reer in da 'liance." [_You just cost me a career in the Alliance_]

Sam cocked her head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, much as she had on the day she'd busted his chops. "No Joesiar, the only person to blame for all this is you." Addressing Lieutenant Steele, she said in a voice literally dripping with venom, "Lieutenant, I suggest you get this goddamned mutherfucker the 'ell out of my face before I hit 'im again!…might even get lucky this time…rid the gene pool of his stupidity!"

To his credit, Steele immediately grabbed Joesiar's arm without a word and steered him away from Traynor and Yuán, guiding him out a side door away from the crowd of women gradually surrounding Sam and Xiùlán.

Heather grabbed Sam in a hug and kissed her cheek. "Damn, Traynor. I didn't realize you'd put those bastards down so convincingly! That was totally amazing." The rest of the women voiced their agreement, patting her back and shoulders as they crowded around her.

Traynor gently returned the hug. "Glad you approve. We haven't won yet, but things do look promising."

Releasing Heather, she looked around and located Xiùlán. "What do you think? Next shuttle for Earth?"

"Bùyào zhǐwàng nǐ de xiǎo jī zhídào tāmen fūhuà," she said softly, as if afraid she'd jinx the proceedings by speculating prematurely. "Sorry, Sam - means _'do not count your chickens until they hatch_'. [不要指望你的小雞直到他們孵化] I want to believe we've got things going our way, but a slick lawyer like Steele? Anything's possible." Xiùlán shrugged her shoulders. "We'll see how General Park feels when she returns. But Sammy," Xiùlán took both her hands in her own, "whatever happens, you did great. I am so very proud of you!"

* * *

* 1430 *

"Please be seated." General Park waited while everyone sat down and the room quieted before clearing her throat. She looked at Joesiar and Lieutenant Steele as she said, "Serviceman Second Class Joesiar, stand and come to attention." Joesiar looked at Steele nervously as he obeyed the general.

"In all my years in the Alliance Marines, I have never met an individual, from either branch, that has done more to tarnish the reputations of every man _and_ woman that serves the Systems Alliance with honor and integrity." General Park continued with, "You sir, are a disgrace to the uniform, and honestly, I cannot imagine how in the name of all that's good and holy you managed to get through basic training without someone murdering you in your sleep."

Lieutenant Steele shoved his chair back in order to stand next to Joesiar. He tentatively raised a hand to interrupt the general, only to receive a stern look as she ignored his motion and continued speaking.

"The Systems Alliance has enough problems in our contacts with batarians and turians without having to deal with xenophobes within our midst. I can not imagine what would happen to our fragile peace with these two races if a member of either one were to personally encounter your narrow-minded view of the galaxy. Before I announce my decision, do you have anything to say to me that can in any way excuse your extremely offensive behavior during your time here? In light of your facial injuries, I will allow Lieutenant Steele to answer for you."

Steele glanced at Joesiar before responding. "The serviceman stands by his earlier assertion that he is in no way racist or misogynistic; he believes all of his attempts at humor have been misconstrued as insults or harassment. Further, he believes the security video as presented proves he was an innocent victim of an unprovoked physical attack by Serviceman Traynor, thus feels _he_ is the aggrieved party, and wishes at this time to file an assault charge against Serviceman Traynor."

Traynor literally couldn't believe her ears; neither could the women seated with her, if their unhappy murmuring was any indication. Heather and Xiùlán, seated on either side of her, each gave Traynor a hand to hold as they waited for General Park to respond.

The general closed her eyes for a few moments as she massaged her temples between the fingertips of each hand; she opened her eyes and used them to skewer the Lieutenant. "You are sadly mistaken, Lieutenant, if you think for one nanosecond I would entertain the possibility of charging Miss Traynor with assault. She defended herself from not one, but two attackers, both men, at least outwardly. That Mr. Joesiar felt he was going to _'teach'_ Miss Traynor a lesson while he had a friend hold her?…and just what sort of lesson did you intend to teach Miss Traynor, Serviceman?"

Steele started to speak, only to be cut off by Park. "Stow it, Lieutenant! Not another word. I have made my decision, and it is irrevocable…no appeal, do you understand me?"

Steele opened his mouth, closed it, then replied with only thinly veiled contempt, "Yes, Ma'am."

"In the matter of Serviceman First Class Yuán Xiùlán, Serviceman Second Class Heather Gonzales, Serviceman Third Class Samantha Traynor, et al, complainants, against Serviceman Second Class Joesiar, I find the reported complaints to be verifiable, backed up by certified recordings, both audio and video; I therefore find the person accused in all these complaints to be guilty of conduct unbecoming a member of the Systems Alliance." Park looked at Joesiar as he stood behind the table with Lieutenant Steele. "Mister Joesiar, your actions have earned you a less than honorable discharge from your position in the Systems Alliance. You are ordered to turn over any and all property and equipment issued to you by the Systems Alliance, including your omni-tool, data pads and uniforms. Upon receipt of said property, you will be issued credits in the amount owed to you for enlistment through the end of the current year. If you wish to remain on base until the 31st of this month, you will be relocated to civilian guest quarters outside of normal base operations. On or before the end of this month you will be provided shuttle transportation to Alliance HQ Vancouver; from there you will be escorted off base. Do you have any questions?"

Joesiar mumbled something to Lieutenant Steele, who answered for him. "Mister Joesiar wants the general to be expecting a call from Major General Bradley Joesiar."

"Duly noted, Lieutenant. If there's nothing else…?" Park gathered up her data pads; as the guard came to attention and shouted "All rise!" the general stood and left the hearing room through the door behind her desk.

Xiùlán, Heather and Sam hugged one another as the thoroughly defeated Joesiar and Steele slunk towards the side door like a pair of whipped dogs, tails between their legs.

Everyone was talking all at once about this turn of events when first Traynor's, then Xiùlán's, then Heather's omni-tools activated, showing incoming messages. Traynor opened hers first, read the message and looked at her two companions. "It's from the general…General Park. She wants to meet with me in her quarters at 1930."

Heather looked at her message; it was the same invitation, as was the message on Xiùlán's omni-tool. "Appears to be genuine. Should we be worried?"

By now, Traynor could find a conspiracy anywhere she looked. "I doubt the general's personal messaging system has been hacked, but let me do some digging, see what I can uncover."

Heather had been ready to accept the invitation at face value. "Why do either of you think it's anything but a simple request to meet with General Park?"

Xiùlán replied, "Because Park was here only long enough to hear our complaints and render an opinion. She most certainly would have shuttled back to BC…why stay here overnight?"

"Exactly! She's on a tight schedule," Traynor agreed with Xiùlán. "The shuttle would have waited for her if her business here wasn't going to take more than a day. Like I said, let me do some digging. Shouldn't take long for me to learn if the general has left for BC. I'll message both of you later. In the meantime, check with your friends, Heather…see if any of them received this exact same message. I'm smelling a rat."

* * *

_A/N: Those of you that have been following my main story _(Transformation)_ know that Joesiar and Xiùlán tangled once again near the end of chapter forty. I wouldn't expect Joesiar to receive any pity from Traynor once the Normandy makes port at the Citadel Naval Yard in Chapter forty-four (currently being researched and written). I've been having fun going back and forth in time. Thanks to all for reading. Fav, follow or review. (Oh yes, happy holidays! Have a wonderful New Year!)_


	8. Aftermath

_Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends. – _Maya Angelou,_ Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now_

* * *

· BASE VIP QUARTERS, 1925 – 2330 ·

Traynor had checked General Park's scheduled itinerary and could find no reason to believe the invitations received by Xiùlán, Heather and herself were anything but legitimate; the general was actually scheduled to be on site for another day, and was not due to return to Earth until Saturday morning. Xiùlán was _chosen_ to be the 'early bird' after a rather heated 'rock/paper/scissors' best two out of three selection process an hour ago – Traynor, having won the game (or lost, depending on the viewpoint), was waiting close at hand with Heather; both would arrive less than a minute or two after Xiùlán went inside.

Yuán touched the door lock to actuate the entrance request chime; the virtual lock changed from red to green within seconds, allowing her to open the door. Cautiously entering, she paused just inside the door threshold to take a quick look around.

General Park was seated at a small desk that formed the separation between the living and dining section of the large room; sleeping quarters and bathroom were beyond. "Come in, Ms Yuán, do come in. Welcome." Rising from her desk, she asked as she came forward to take her hand, "Can I get you something? Water?…or coffee, or tea, perhaps?"

A bit taken aback, Xiùlán moved to greet her and said, "Tea would be nice, thank you Ma'am."

Park smiled as she shook Xiùlán's hand, but winced ever so slightly at the strength of the young woman's grip; Xiùlán noticed this and let go immediately as Park commented, "It's been some time since I've done any field work, Yuán…you have an incredibly strong grip for a woman. I take it your physical exercise work ethic is every bit as strong." She had moved to the small kitchen area, where she set a kettle on the compact two-burner stove to boil water and busied herself getting cups and saucers ready for her guests.

"I've been involved in martial arts since I was five years old, Ma'am. Learned most of what I know from my mom, in Shanghai." Xiùlán looked down as she spoke of her mother.

Park looked at her sharply. "Your mom not approving of your career choice?"

Xiùlán looked up quickly as she responded, "Oh no, nothing like that. She was always _very_ supportive…whatever I chose to do. My dad…," she trailed off, leaving the rest of her thought unsaid. "I always believed my personal style of fighting is enhanced by exceptionally strong arms and legs. Strength training is an important part of my daily routine."

Park looked at the door as the lock chimed to indicate someone requesting entry. "I wager that'll be your friends," she said. "Hold that thought…I'll come back to it." She released the lock, allowing the door to open to admit Heather and Samantha, both of whom looked around shyly as they entered the small apartment.

"Ms Gonzales, Ms Traynor…welcome. I'm glad you're both here…come in, I was just going to make some tea for Ms Yuán and myself…either of you…?"

Sam and Heather each agreed that tea sounded good.

"Very well, then! I'll make a pot for the four of us," Park said enthusiastically.

Coming over to shake hands with each of them, she noticed Traynor's hesitation and smiled warmly as she asked, "Hands still sore from your unfortunate encounter with Mr. Joesiar's face, Traynor?"

Holding up her index finger, she replied shyly "Actually, I had a cybernetic accelerometer installed in this fingertip first week of the month, plus two fingertips on the left…still tender, I guess. I'm going to have three more done on the 28th or 29th. They'll save me from having to use the special gloves needed for Haptic interfaces."

"Good for you! Makes sense to augment yourself for whatever specialty you're studying, but it appears…" Park paused to look intently at Sam's forearms, bare from the elbows down in her short-sleeve duty uniform, "…you've been seriously exercising more than your brain since arriving here." Looking back at Yuán, Park experienced an epiphany. "If I were to take a wild guess, it'd be that you two ladies spend a lot of time in each other's company. Have you always been so…well developed, Ms Traynor?" Her eyes bored holes in both of them as she waited for one or the other to respond.

"Meeting Yuán was the best thing that ever happened to me," Sam answered shyly with a loving look at her friend. "I had an average build when I arrived in January. When she began training me in Jing Quan Dao, I realized I needed to increase my muscle mass if I was to ever have _any_ chance of pulling off some of the more challenging moves in which she was demanding proficiency." Sam's head came up and she looked directly at General Park. "I started hacking the computers controlling the gravity generators, Ma'am; jacked the grav up in whatever room I was using to do my work outs. You'd be amazed how fast one can build muscle when the gravity is 1.5 to 1.9 times greater than Earth normal."

"And your assessment _is_ correct, Ma'am," Yuán added as she put an affectionate arm around Sam's waist and pulled her in close to her side. "Sammy and I are the very best of friends. I teach her how to fight, she teaches me how to deal effectively with electronics…mutually beneficial relationship, one that's grown quite serious over time."

Heather's jaw fell as she stared at the pair, as if seeing them with new eyes. "Damn! Traynor…you never mentioned…"

"…it never came up, Heather," Sam responded easily. "Sorry…I just assumed everybody, well, certainly all the women here, knew my sexual preferences," Samantha answered. "It's obvious Joesiar and his kind didn't know…I can't even _begin_ to imagine the level of harassment that would have caused me…or Xiùlán. Anyway, I didn't think it mattered to anyone…or does it?"

She looked from Heather to General Park, who responded, "It makes no difference to me, Ms Traynor, and _shouldn_'_t_ make any difference to anyone else." She looked at Sam and Xiùlán before looking at Gonzales. "_Does_ their love for each other make a difference in your opinion of them, Ms Gonzales?"

Heather looked straight at General Park and answered, "No Ma'am. It's just…a surprise to learn…" looking back at Traynor, she continued, "I mean…just…wow, Traynor! You guys really kept this under the radar."

General Park listened as she poured a round of tea and bade her guests sit.

"We weren't actively trying to hide our feelings for each other, Heather," Xiùlán said as she released Sam and took a cup of tea. "I mean, it's a work in progress, I guess."

Pointing to Xiùlán's arms, Park returned to her earlier inquiry. "Going back to our discussion before your friends joined us, Yuán. Your arms? Judging from their appearance, I'd bet the rest of your body is every bit as sculpted. Not to be nosy, but how long have you been honing your physique?"

My mom kept me from weight training until a year past the onset of my yuèjīng zhōuqí [月經週期]…that is, my menses. She was always careful…wanted to make sure I wasn't putting undue stress on my organs. I've been actively doing strength training for almost ten years.

"And what're your plans once you leave the program?" Park asked. "Going to stay in the Military, or take your skills into civilian life?"

"We'd like to spend the rest of our lives together, Ma'am. Don't expect the 'together' part will happen as long as we're in the Navy," Xiùlán said bluntly. She continued as Park nodded her head in…what?…agreement?…or understanding?…Xiùlán wasn't sure which, "I'm training to ultimately command a warship; Sammy here is going to be a shore-based electronics tech, probably working in quantum communications. I don't expect we'll ever serve together on a ship, but who knows?" Xiùlán looked at Sam and felt the familiar warmth spreading outwards from her core just from being in the same room with her.

Park nodded again, sipped her tea and said, "It _would_ be most unusual for the two of you to remain together after this program has concluded. But," Park sat back in her chair, crossed her legs and changed the subject, "discussing your companionship preferences wasn't the reason I asked," Park waved a hand to indicate Heather as well as Traynor and Yuán, "the three of you here tonight.

Picking up a datapad, she continued with, "You three are at the top of your class here, despite the sideshow antics of Mr. Joesiar and his admirers. Traynor, you and Gonzales are each slated for promotions to SC1 when you leave here for Mars…congratulations, by the way." Park scrolled through the info on her datapad. "SC1 Yuán, I expect your next step _after_ Mars will be Service Chief. Ms Gonzales, your skills may prove quite useful on the vessels we send in support of our agents on the ground…agents like…well, these two here," she finished as she indicated Traynor and Yuán with a nod of her head.

Traynor wasn't sure she had heard correctly. "You mean Alliance Command already has plans for us?"

"Should be no surprise, Traynor. Your electronics intrusion skills are scary good. Get a good grasp of alien technology during your time on Mars, batarian technology in particular, and you will be a tremendous asset to us." Park looked at Yuán and added, "Your skills as an unarmed fighter here are being talked about back home. You and Traynor together on a small team should be very effective at carrying out covert operations."

Xiùlán was puzzled. "General, if I may ask, you're attached to the AG's office…how is it that you know so much about the three of us…I mean, besides the fact we all filed complaints about Joesiar?"

Park chuckled as she answered, "Let's forget all about rank and naval protocol for a few minutes, Xiùlán. Just forget I'm a bloody general…we're just…acquaintances…having a discussion regarding our future…humankind's future…in the galaxy. Alliance HQ is getting crazier by the day…people are so damned concerned about getting promoted they're willing to climb all over their peers, ride them right into the dirt if it'll gain them _any_ advantage at all."

Park's use of her given name surprised her. "Okaaaayyyyy. I don't see how, or why that affects us out here, Ma'am…we're pretty far down that food chain, correct?"

Traynor interrupted the pair with, "The Alliance is known for using people up and discarding them when their usefulness has come to an end…been that way ever since 2149." Sam glanced at Xiùlán before returning her full attention to Park and continuing. "Joining the nations of the Earth into an 'alliance' actually did nothing to unify _any_ of them. Every member nation has its own agenda; being in an_ 'alliance' _means it's just that much easier for them to subvert the system, use the charter rules to their advantage."

General Park was impressed with Traynor's opinion on the state of the Alliance political system. "Keeping up with current events, Samantha?"

Traynor smiled and replied, "Not as much as I'd like. I _was_ following the stories about Torfan last December, but all the course work here sorta sidetracked that effort. I've occasionally wondered what ultimately happened to the lieutenant that led that operation."

Park smiled. "You're talking about Rachaél Anne Shepard. Lost nearly three-quarters of her squad in the tunnels on that moon. Batarians despise her – call her the 'Butcher of Torfan' – they claim she even killed those that surrendered, or tried to; corroborating evidence was never offered in support of that. She _is_ brutally efficient; gets the job done no matter the cost. Still Navy, even though she fights as well as any marine, and I believe she received a quiet promotion to First Lieutenant after all the hue and cry died down."

Heather joined in with, "Sounds almost like a female version of Joesiar…probably not the best example of an officer and a lady, eh?"

"Quite the contrary, Heather," Park replied. "Shepard is no racist, and despite Torfan, she's not a xenophobe…she just really, _really_ detests slavers and pirates, no matter their planet of origin. Unfortunately, the Hegemony seems to produce the vast majority of both." Park's smile turned into a frown. "Shepard was a colony kid – Mindoir…sixteen years old when batarian slavers attacked in 2170. Not many survivors…" Park trailed off as she thought back. "Bastards gang-raped her mom, then sliced her throat while her dad was forced to watch; after Hannah Shepard bled out, they murdered her father. She was hiding nearby, witnessed the whole thing. Brutal introduction to the batarian race." Park finished her tea, leaning back in her chair as she cupped both hands around the mug and continued in a tone suggesting a sadness deeply felt. "Understandably, she never talks about that time in her life, but it's always just below the surface when she's dealing with batarians on _any_ level."

Park sighed, then looked up. "As for you two," indicating Xiùlán and Sam, "what we have in mind for you _will_ involve pirates, so yeah, batarians. Can't say anymore until you get through Mars training, but I really want to impress on you the importance of knowing everything you can about them. You'll have to know how they think, how they react, what motivates them. You're in for a _very_ intense seven months of training, but I'm confident you'll make it through just fine."

Turning her attention to Gonzales, she continued with, "Heather, I've seen the results of your native language studies. You seem to have a real aptitude for non-galactic languages." Studying her ever-present datapad, she added, "In addition to studying native batarian speech, your next six months of training will be spent learning all that's available on the language of the ancient Protheans. The Alliance is continuing to study the treasure trove at the southern pole…there is so much more buried there than has ever been revealed publicly. Some of the records discovered hint at the cause of the cataclysmic event that not only destroyed their entire civilization, but virtually eradicated any trace of it ever existing. Your interest in ancient language and culture will be a real asset to the Alliance as we continue this research."

Park paused as she continued to scroll through information. "It will be a difficult choice for the brass in charge of mission assignments, I think. All three of you have talents in multiple areas. I plan on monitoring your progress once you leave here."

Xiùlán boldly asked, "Ma'am, if you're not actually attached to the AG's department, why did they send you to adjudicate our complaints?"

"Time for your classes on this rock is drawing to a close. Kicking Joesiar out of the Alliance?…foregone conclusion. The AG didn't need an official adjudicator to waste time with this case." Park chuckled as she continued, "I was sworn in for this one trip. I didn't have to see or hear any of the evidence presented…I know General Bradley Joesiar, talked to him before I left Vancouver. Brad's not the smartest person I've ever known, but he's certainly no fool. He told me to do whatever was needed to fix the problem _here_ before it became _his_ problem down there, and he didn't have _any_ trouble with me booting his nephew out of the Alliance."

The door lock chimed; as Park stood and moved to answer it, she said, "I took the liberty of ordering dinner for us. I'd be afraid of poisoning you with my own cooking…"

She allowed the door to open, revealing several base personnel bearing trays of food from the nearby officer's mess. "Come in, gentlemen." Park directed them to place the trays on the counter between the kitchen and dining/office area; after they had done so and left, the three students and the general sat down together over a sumptuous meal, after which they continued to talk long into the evening about everything Alliance, Navy, friends and enemies near and far.

* * *

* ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • MONDAY, 2179/11/01, 0830–1145 *

The _MSV Tarrus IV_, a mixed passenger and freight transport vessel of medium size leased to the Alliance Navy by ExSolar Shipping, grounded its landing gear on the pad outside the main entrance to the Naval and Marine base near the South Pole, just a few klicks from the Prothean dig site. As unseen flight crew secured engines and idled the small eezo core, base personnel extended a passenger transfer bridge and sealed it to the outer hull at the exit hatch; the small airlock at that end was then pressurized, allowing the transport's hatch to be opened and the passengers within to walk the short distance to the main entrance of the large reception area. As the ship's passengers left, workers in environmental suits labored to remove the cargo from within the _Tarrus IV_, all of which was destined for this base; the ship would then be loaded with cargo and passengers for its return trip to Earth.

Yuán Xiùlán, along with newly promoted Samantha Traynor and Heather Gonzales, paused in the middle of the vast 'bubble' to look around – this had been the first habitat built on the Martian surface after the discovery of the Prothean cache. All the habitats subsequently constructed shared the design, if not the size, of this one; the appearance of the outpost from a few hundred meters above somewhat resembled a flower. Additionally, this large central habitat was connected directly to two others of similar size, with their own smaller modules radiating outward at the ends of connecting tubes; a few of the smaller satellite modules were also connected directly with each other, giving the appearance from above of a spoked wheel.

They stopped at a display terminal presenting information about their environments, inside and outside. They learned that each tube (connecting tunnel) was fitted with emergency hatches every 15 meters – these would automatically close in the event of air pressure loss within any of the sections. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in a section experiencing catastrophic decompression would most likely not survive – the Martian atmosphere's CO2 volume of 96% and pressure of about 0.6% of Earth's mean sea level pressure was well beyond human survivability for more than about one to two minutes of exposure. A pressure suit with breathable air was an absolute necessity outside the habitats, which were kept pressurized to an equivalent of 2200 meters altitude on Earth.

Sam looked at Xiùlán with a sly smile as the terminal relayed the fact that Mars gravity was a third that of Earth; apparent gravity within the habitats was computer controlled to an apparent difference of 85% that of Earth. Xiùlán grinned back at her student, knowing full well Sam's exercise program would most likely be performed at 1.75 g's.

Xiùlán and Sam had applied for and been granted a shared compartment with a full bath. Sam had a hunch that General Park had been involved with approval of their request, even without any obvious evidence. Their room assignment had been sent to their omni-tools; Heather Gonzales had a compartment just down the hall. As they headed for their assigned quarters, Xiùlán downloaded a copy of the menu from the closest cafeteria in order to see what garlic-loaded surprises she could spring on Sam.

Entering their compartment together, Sam gasped in astonishment. Placing each of their lunar-base quarters together would only equal about half the space in this area! There was a living/lounge area directly beyond the airlock passageway, with a compact kitchen and eating area set diagonally a step up in back. A pair of good-sized desks sat back to back between the living and dining area – each had a terminal and ample storage for numerous data pads. A large, comfortable looking couch with matching chair and low table completed the room.

Their bedroom was outfitted with a 155 by 210 cm bed (large by Alliance standards), to the left of the pocket door; a full bathroom with a sink and compact shower was accessible through a door just inside to the right at the foot of the bed. There was a small table with storage compartments topped with a lamp on either side at the head of the bed; a mirrored dresser on one side and a double chest on the other completed the furnishings.

"Xiùlán," Sam asked in amazement. "Have we been assigned the wrong quarters? Should we wait to unpack, just in case someone realizes their mistake and wants us out?"

"Don't think it's a mistake, Sēn měi." Xiùlán had moved to the terminals on the adjoining desks. Picking up a data pad, she recited the name at the top of the display. "_ 'Assigned to Serviceman First Class Yuán Xiùlán, S/N 8257-PVG-09186, 2179/11/01'_ – I don't think anyone made a mistake, darling."

Xiùlán keyed the device on and read the message displayed. "Aah! Here's a message from General Park." Xiùlán played the recording for Traynor: _'Serviceman Yuán: I very much enjoyed our dinner and visit with you, SC1 Traynor and SC1 Gonzales. I called in a couple of favors so the three of you would have nice accommodations during your stay on Mars. I am convinced dark days are on the horizon…for humanity…for the galaxy. __Learn everything you possibly can during your stay – the knowledge just may make a difference in your ability to survive the trials I believe will test us all. Best regards. RaeLee Park, General, Alliance Naval Command.'_

"So, this place is really ours for the next six months?" Traynor asked in a tone suggesting she didn't quite believe their good fortune. "They don't assign luxury quarters like this to people like us, Xiùlán. This looks a lot like the general's quarters on Luna Base. I don't…"

The chime of the door lock interrupted Sam's thoughts. Xiùlán unlocked the door; neither of them was surprised to see Heather Gonzales standing just outside. "Xiùlán! Samantha! I don't know what to do! The room I'm in, it's…it's…," she went silent, eyes wide in astonishment as she stepped inside and looked around Sam's and Xiùlán's quarters. Both women remained silent as Heather looked around in the kitchen, living area and their bedroom.

Stopping in the doorway coming out of the bedroom, her only words were, "Maldita Sea! ¿Qué hemos hecho para merecer _este_ tratamiento? [_Damn! What have we done to deserve this treatment?_] I mean, what the hell!? My quarters are smaller, but every bit as nice. I don't know what to do! Do I unpack? Maybe we should go see someone in base housing. I just…," Heather was at a loss until Xiùlán showed her the data pad.

"We're right where we're meant to be, Heather," Xiùlán smiled. "Perhaps having the vaginas to stand up to Joesiar and his minions was all we needed."

Sam thought she'd misheard her friend. "I'm sorry, what was that? '_…having the vaginas'_? Don't you mean '_balls _'?" she said with a smirk.

"You heard me," Xiùlán snarked right back. "Having _'balls'_, _'gāowán'_ [睾丸 - testis], a '_krogan quad'_, a…a…what do you call them in your native tongue, Heather?"

"Cojones?"

"Right, _'Cojones'_. _'Bollocks'_ in old English, Sammy. Any of those…most fragile part of any male. Why in hell would _we_ want them, hanging down, always getting in the way, ruining our thinking with all that testosterone. A good swift kick and…I mean, look what happened to Hobe. All thoughts of handling Traynor's boobs disappeared soon as her leg mashed them into pulp, right? We don't need balls!…we have vaginas," Xiùlán said, stating the patently obvious. "and a vagina can really take a pounding. I don't think I can incapacitate you by kicking either of you in your crotch, not like I can by kicking a man. So, vaginas, _not_ balls!"

Heather and Sam were doubled over laughing uncontrollably at Xiùlán's unassailable logic. When Heather finally regained enough control to speak, she said, "I gotta pee…at least I had to when I came in here. Not so sure now…gotta go." Still giggling, she hurriedly ran back to own quarters.

"Come on, Sēn měi…let's get our stuff put away," Xiùlán said. "We need to do a bit of shopping…get some groceries so we don't always have to eat in the cafeteria."

"Maybe we ought to go have brunch first, then go grocery shopping. Easier to stick with the basics if we're not hungry, and I bet prices here are _not_ for the weak of heart!"

"Okay, sounds like a wise plan. Let's invite Heather along…it'll be fun," Xiùlán grabbed Traynor's bag and tossed it to her before picking up her own and heading for their bedroom.

* * *

* 11/01 • evening *

During the first night in their new quarters on Mars, Traynor and Yuán spent the late evening making love in their ridiculously (to them, at least) oversize bed. Xiùlán had discovered Samantha was not content to simply roll over and go to sleep after experiencing only one climax – she had seemed insatiable, only succumbing to Xiùlán's pleas for sleep after they'd driven each other over the summit a number of times.

Sam returned to their bed after a quick trip to the toilet; still nude, she rejoined her lover by crawling on her hands and knees up from the foot of the bed, like some predator returning to reclaim her prize. She eased herself up past Xiùlán's legs, pausing to plant leisurely kisses on her mons, her navel and both breasts before cuddling up beside her, left leg over her partner's; Xiùlán had raised her left arm, allowing Sam to place her warm body against her side and lay her head on her shoulder, left nipple being tickled by her breathing. Xiùlán ran her fingers lightly through the short hair on the back of Sam's head, stirring the scents of jasmine and lime as their afterglow slowly faded to drowsiness.

As sleep started to take them both, Sam tilted her head up a bit and whispered, "Still awake, Ai?" [愛 - _Love? (Sam's meaning is 'luv?')_]

"Barely," came the whispered reply. "Nǐ bù kěnéng xūyào gèng duō?" [你不可能需要更多？ - _you can not need more?_]

Ignoring the protest whispered in Mandarin, Sam asked, "Our first night together?…I'm curious. For a virgin, you seemed to know exactly what you were doing when you made love to me. I have never…it was like…my…damn, luv!…you set me totally on fire. That was the most extreme orgasm I've ever had…thought I'd explode from the intensity!…don't think I'll ever peak that high again. So, were you performing orally for the first time ever? Not that I'm complaining, mind you…it was…surprising…and so completely wonderful." Sam's voice trailed away into silence at the delicious memory. "Just seems odd you would go down on me like that for a first time outing."

Xiùlán turned her head and studied her partner through narrowed eyelids before answering with a sensual purr, "I love you, Sam! I was merely kissing you. Performing tiǎn yīn [舔陰 - _cunnilingus_] is revered in Chinese Taoism as a spiritually-fulfilling practice, believed to enhance longevity." Xiùlán's lips brushed Sam's nose. "You don't mind if I perform tiǎn yīn on you, do you? It was…is…_every_ bit as pleasurable for me as it apparently is for you."

"Not…at…all," came the whispered reply. "It was pure bliss! I love you, Xiùlán, forever."

Xiùlán carefully rolled towards Samantha so they were facing each other. Holding Sam in her arms, their legs entangled together, she whispered, "Wǒ ài nǐ sà màn shā · tè léi nà…"

* * *

* 2179/11/01 through 11/15 *

Their first weeks on Mars had been spent downloading coursework and learning the layout of the facility by day, beginning study of some of the more esoteric subjects they needed to learn during early evenings after dinner (they took turns preparing their own evening meals, sharing the cleanup duties afterwards), then going to sleep nude in each others arms, either facing, or with Xiùlán spooning Sam with an arm protectively over her.

* * *

* 0740 hours *

This morning, as she had done each morning since their arrival, Xiùlán had gently awakened Sammy by whispering '_Zǎoshang hǎo, wǒ de ài'_ close in her ear, followed by a tender kiss on her cheek. Sam had stirred just a bit, enjoying the feel of Xiùlán's body tightly pressed against her back, incredibly gentle hands caressing her bare skin. Sam replied, "I love you, Xiùlán. I'll never again be content to sleep by myself. Having your body snuggled up to mine, being wrapped in your arms? I'm truly in heaven, darling."

* * *

As Sam was eating breakfast later, she studied Xiùlán's face while pondering her incredibly good fortune in finding such a perfect woman with which to share her life. Xiùlán glanced up from the data pad she was studying between bites of Jian Bing, caught Sam watching her, smiled and asked, "What?"

"Oh, nothing…just thinking how important you've become to me." Sam looked down for a moment, embarrassment tinting her cheeks pink; looking up again, she met Xiùlán's cool gaze and said, "I am _so_ unbelievably in love with you, Yuán Xiùlán. Thinking about our future…the thought of possibly losing you to something neither of us can control?…scares the living 'ell out of me."

"Me losing you, Sà màn shā? I don't think I could bear it." Xiùlán responded solemnly. "We've been together less than a year, yet I am unable to dream of any future that doesn't include you, cannot think of a past that did not include you." Dark eyes glistening with unshed tears, throat tight with emotion, she added, "We can only try our best to protect each other when we can, and pray to our ancestors to keep each other safe when we're apart." Continuing to speak softly as she finished the last bite of Jian Bing and rose to take care of the dishes, she spoke crisply, "Come on then. We have classes…lots of new stuff, to learn, to do. It'll be fun!"

* * *

Sam and Xiùlán had different classes, not uncommon considering the different directions their studies were taking them. Xiùlán was in a warehouse section of Delta-deuce – dome two, learning the intricacies of using the Alliance's newly developed personal ME generator, a 15.5 centimeter deep device about the diameter of a dinner plate. Designed to be docked on a custom hardpoint on one's back armor, it was automatically linked in to the suit's microcomputer and controlled through one's omni-tool; once activated, it could be adjusted to negate ones mass by any percentage, down to 3% of normal, enabling standing jumps of nine meters or more against standard station gravity (generally 0.85g). In a warehouse such as this, 3x2x2.5 meter shipping containers were normally stacked three high to a height of 7.5 meters; top of the stacks in the dim light commonly available was by and large a safe place from which to observe, to hide, or to stash easily portable equipment for later retrieval.

The devices were incredibly power-hungry; the greater the mass reduction, the greater the power consumption. Power-cells were easily changed out, but using them continuously risked low-power available when it might be most needed. A failsafe was programmed into the mini-computer in each device; it would not 'power up' at levels below 5%. If engaged with only 10% power available, the device would have a gradually lessening effect as power was depleted. Percentage of power available was auto-displayed in red at 10% capacity; the numbers flashed rapidly when 5% was reached.

Xiùlán quickly discovered she did not need to adjust her apparent mass down as much as her instructors had expected, thanks to her extremely well-muscled legs. She learned that lowering her mass by half was usually enough to make scrambling up the sides of cargo containers, with their many handholds, as easy as climbing a ladder. Descending from the top was a bit harder; jumping down from three to six meters was a snap, as long as she really focused on sticking her landings.

Lunch each day of this class was a survival ration eaten on site – she and her classmates had to retrieve them from the tops of the cargo container stacks. Most chose to simply sit in the middle of whatever container stack they happened to be on when they found and grabbed their food. After an hour, the instructors had them continue their exercises. It proved to be a long, tiring week for Xiùlán.

* * *

Samantha was doing something completely new for her – she was in the weapons dome, learning to operate and maintain the various weapons the Alliance employed, both on the battlefield and in the alleys and confined spaces of buildings. Because of the aptitude she had displayed for firing high-powered sniper rifles and heavy pistols during basic training, she was spending her first week learning the intricacies of maintaining a Rosenkov Materials _Volkov_ sniper rifle, an incredibly powerful long-range weapon only slightly less accurate than a Kassa Fab _Harpoon_.

The class instructor was a grizzled old Marine, Gunnery Sergeant Arlen Vinson, who continuously chewed on a stub of the foulest cigar Sam had ever had the displeasure of smelling. 'Gunny', as he preferred to be addressed (_"I don't hold wit' all dat ceremonial bullshit - jus' call me Gunny!"_) was a veteran of the first contact war, a career military man that had seen the worst of turian cruelty at the Battle of Shanxi.

Traynor spent the entire week learning the intricacies of the Volkov, and spent hour after hour every morning field stripping and reassembling the weapon over and over until she was sure she could do it in a darkened room, at which point Gunny had her do just that.

Afternoons were where she could prove her reassembled weapon was completely functional and deadly accurate. It became readily apparent to Gunny that Traynor had a real gift for precise long-range shooting when she was hitting stationary targets at 1000 to 1200 meters from a prone position.

"Okay SC-1. Try hittin' dese from a kneeling or crouched position." He had then raised the targets at a range of 500 meters. Traynor was just settling in for an easy exercise when she felt not only a crosswind but saw the targets dancing around randomly, significantly complicating her ability to target accurately. After a few minutes and two missed shots (accompanied by wheezing laughter from the old sergeant), she found a rhythm to the targets apparent randomness and began picking them off one at a time.

Gunny's laughter abruptly ceased as he saw her drill the third consecutive target; she hit the fourth target immediately after the third – while she waited the two seconds for her rifle to cool, Gunny increased the downrange target's distance to 750 meters and increased the speed of the crosswind by 5%. Traynor kneeled in a slightly different spot, sighted downrange and popped off two quick shots; as the rifle cooled, she performed a combat roll and relocated to her left, took up position and again fired twice in rapid succession. Four shots, four targets drilled, less than ten seconds elapsed time.

The expression on Gunny Vinson's face was priceless. Even with his mouth hanging open in amazement, the nasty stub of a cigar stayed in place in one corner, apparently 'glued' to his lips. "Goddamned fancy-assed shootin' fer a youngster. You tol' me ya didn't have no trainin' afore dis. Care ta tell me where ya learnt ta shoot so well?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Traynor answered, "Sorry Gunny. I've not had much opportunity to practice marksmanship, not since basic training. One of my instructors told me I had a lot of potential, but in ten weeks?…" Sam shrugged her shoulders.

"Think I'll send a report to da unit commander dere – tell 'im…or 'er, since turnover's so damn high, they need ta rethink how dey keep records on da people goin' through da program." Pointing a tobacco-stained finger at her, he added, "Potential like yours should _never_ be overlooked!" Holding out a hand for her rifle, he concluded with, "Les call it a day fer you…tomorrer we'll see jus how well you do wit heavy pistols."

* * *

Xiùlán was learning new ways to employ her omni-tool for untraceable computer intrusion, and thanks to Traynor's patient instruction over the past several months, she already had a good working knowledge of how to ease in past the most modern (or stubborn) security programming, plant monitors or destructive bits of code and slip back out, leaving none the wiser; she also had help from the newly installed upgrades to her Serrice Council omni-tool. It was even quicker _and_ more efficient, leaving less of an electronic 'footprint' behind than ever before, making it a simpler to hide her intrusions.

The upgrade also included a newer, deadlier omni-blade. While the tool would still generate a ceramic blade that rotated 180° to face forward, as well as the slimmer and longer version of the original extending backwards from one's wrist and out at a 10° angle away from the arm, (allowing one to strike an opponent by using a crossways slicing motion), a third function fabricated a poison-tipped straight blade (type of poison dependant on the race of the enemy being faced), tip pointing forward, blade above and parallel to the forearm; once fabricated, a punch in the air that stopped anywhere adjacent to an opponent's body activated the blade's deadliest feature – it was instantly propelled forward above the wearers forearm, wrist and knuckles, in a manner and with a force equivalent to a bolt being released from a crossbow. From half a meter the ceramic blade was capable of piercing any chest or back plate currently being employed by the various armed forces and merc bands, and would slice through soft-tissue and bone with equal alacrity; kinetic barriers were also no help against an attack of this nature. Its use against an armored cadaver had surprised some; the blade could actually cut straight through chest armor, the sternum and spine of the cadaver, with the point coming to rest exposed through the back armor.

Xiùlán had impressed Mallene Calis, the company's asari instructor and a commando herself, by using it to great effect in a simulation against several mechanical opponents; one of the mechs had the misfortune of having Xiùlán grab it from behind, left arm around its 'neck', right fist hitting it in its side. The blade had penetrated from right to left through simulated ribs, heart and lungs, with the point and five centimeters of blade protruding out of the left armpit.

"By the Goddess, Yuán! When we talked during the initial classes on the moon base, I told you then I believed you to be a warrior. I stand by my original appraisal of your prowess…you would fit into any asari commando unit with relative ease." As before, the asari placed the palms of her hands alongside Xiùlán's face and closed her eyes for a moment, only to instantly fling them open in surprise as she dropped her hands. "Yuán Xiùlán! You aura has increased substantially since last we met! I had not believed such a thing could be possible in a human, yet here you are." Calis looked into Xiùlán's eyes and asked in a hesitant voice, "Xiùlán, would you be willing to allow me to meld with you?"

Xiùlán was a bit taken aback. "A…a meld? Isn't that only for lovemaking among asari?"

Mallene smiled. "Even you believe in the unfounded myths of asari promiscuity. I can assure you most asari do not enter a meld with anyone on a casual basis, and there are many types of melds Xiùlán; most have nothing to do with sex. I would like to try a light meld in order to gather information…on your history…your education. I will not delve deep, and anything I glean from your memories will be held in strictest confidence. You will be fully in control of what I can see; we may even be able to communicate through the link."

Xiùlán thought for a few moments. "Would you mind coming to my quarters this evening, perhaps, shall we say, 1930? I would like to have my roommate with us."

"Of course. I will bring additional information on the upgrades."

* * *

Sam was finishing the last of her evening meal while studying one of the several datapads she always seemed to have in her hand. She looked up in surprise as the entry request for the compartment door chimed; Xiùlán went to open it as Sam watched curiously.

Xiùlán greeted their guest which, to Sam's surprise, turned out to be a familiar looking asari. "Sammy? You remember Mallene Calis, the Serrice Council representative who gave us our new omni-tools in January? Mallene, this is my roommate, Samantha Traynor"

Sam set her datapad down as she rose to greet their guest. "Nice to see you again, Ms Calis. What brings you out this far past the Citadel?"

Calis put her hands together under her chin, palm-to-palm, fingertips up, and bowed slightly in Sam's direction. "Greetings, Samantha Traynor. I am here to install firmware upgrades in everyone's omni-tools, and provide instruction for the new features Serrice Council has included with the upgrades. It's a rather intricate modification, involving replacement of one of the sub-miniature control circuits. My team and I have to actually modify the tool physically, which is the reason I will be onsite for several more days."

She looked at Xiùlán as she continued, "Ms Yuán impressed me when I met her at the Alliance moon base…her mental growth during the year intrigues me. I asked if she would allow me the privilege of a light meld to explore this growth."

Sam was instantly in full-blown combat-ready mode at the mention of a meld with her lover. "I really don't think that's a wise idea, Ms Calis." Turning to Xiùlán, she grumped, "I cannot believe you agreed to this, Luv. Shénme tā mā de!?" [什麼他媽的？- _What the fuck?_]

"It's not what you think, Sēn měi. Ms Calis merely wishes to see what changes have taken place in my mind these past ten months. I asked her to come here so you can observe. Is that not okay, darling?" Xiùlán cupped Samantha's face with her palms. "You know me, Sammy. Never would I do _any_ thing to jeopardize 'us'."

Understanding came to Mallene the instant Samantha spoke; it was confirmed by Xiùlán's actions and words. "Ms Traynor, I can assure you I have no desire to mate with Ms Yuán. She is obviously very much in love with you; you may have even publicly declared your love for each other, or have I misinterpreted your protest?"

Samantha's face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and unhappiness. "Yuán Xiùlán is my life, Mallene Calis. We have not declared publicly, but you need to know I would do anything to keep this woman from injury or harm of any kind."

"I understand, Ms Traynor. Perhaps…" Calis approached Traynor and brought her hands up as she said in a soothing tone, "…if I may?" She calmly approached the specialist and stood in front of her. Placing the palms of her hands a few centimeters away from each side of Sam's face, she studied her eyes for several seconds as a look of surprise mixed with amusement gradually became evident in her expression. "Ms Traynor, your aura is nearly the equal of Ms Yuán's. I do not recall that you displayed anything like this when we met previously. It might prove enlightening to meld with you as well, but only if you both agree. It is not something I would force on any that are unwilling to do so."

Samantha nervously looked to Xiùlán. "What do you think, Luv? I can go first, I guess."

"Go ahead, Sammy. I'm here if you need me."

Looking back at Mallene, Traynor asked, "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

"Simply relax. Close your eyes. Free your mind of conscious thought." Mallene placed the palms of her hands on Traynor's cheeks, eyes becoming dark as her irises dilated fully. "You will feel a slight…tingle…"

Traynor closed her eyes as cool hands pressed lightly against her face. Within moments, she gasped in surprise. It was like…there was something…someone…looking at her from within. It was rather disconcerting…and pleasurable…at the same time. It was over in mere seconds, the feeling slipping away to leave her feeling alone and…of great surprise to her…empty.

Opening her eyes, she met the cool gaze of the asari in front of her, saying softly, "That was…different."

Xiùlán asked with a touch of concern in her voice. "You okay, Sēn měi?"

"Yeah…fine. Just…it was like…" Sam trailed off, unable to find words to describe the sensations she had felt during the very brief meld. "It was…not unpleasant."

"I was able to discern a lot about you, Samantha Traynor. Your mind is very receptive, and also very strong. I saw your pain from years ago, back on Earth," Mallene said in a sympathetic tone. "No one should ever be subjected to an attack of that kind; the memory…the pain of it is still quite powerful. Should you desire, one of our doctors could easily block that memory for you."

"I also saw your love for Ms Yuán here. It partially explains the aura I can detect around you. She has taught you…is still teaching you…how to love, but also how to fight, how to defend yourself. You have a gift for unconscious reactions, Ms Traynor. It is growing stronger, will continue to grow in power the longer you stay with Ms Yuán. Your ability is a rarity among humans. Hone it. Guard it. Nurture it. Troubling times are coming. Our matriarchal council is professing some fear concerning the future. A terrible darkness is approaching, but it is unknown how it will manifest itself. Study hard…learn all you can. You will play an important role in the shared future of humans and asari."

Calis added, "I also imparted knowledge regarding the upgrades that will be made to your omni-tool during my very brief…visit. As the evening goes by, you will remember more and more of the information I gave you."

Turning towards Xiùlán, she asked, "Are you ready, Ms Yuán?"

Xiùlán walked up to her and held her hands out in front of herself, palms up. "You may begin when ready, Ms Calis."

Mallene placed her palms on top of the hands patiently waiting and looked into the dark eyes of the human woman, unafraid, certain of her self. "Please relax and close your eyes. Free your mind of conscious thought." Mallene's eyes grew dark as her irises dilated fully. "You may feel a slight…"

She never finished her verbal thought. She was in Xiùlán's mind, experiencing a kaleidoscopic vision of thought and awareness the likes of which she had never before seen. There was an order to it all, elegant, structured, arranged and stacked neatly in rows and columns. Mallene 'turned' a corner and was blocked from further progress. She sensed Xiùlán's smile as she 'heard' words through the link. _¤You may come no further. Everything beyond is private, personal. No one is allowed inside.¤ _There was no malice, no threat implied, simply a statement of fact.

Mallene Calis 'placed' the upgraded omni-tool data in a perceived 'in-box', a place in Xiùlán's memory that would be immediately accessible; she then gently withdrew from the young human's mind. As her eyes regained their color with the return of her physical vision, Xiùlán's face swam into focus – eyes closed, face composed, hint of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. The hands under her palms turned to grasp hers, thumbs gently massaging the backs.

"You have an extraordinarily strong mind, Yuán Xiùlán," Calis quietly said. "I have never touched one so strong at such a young age, particularly in a human. It is readily apparent where Ms Traynor's inspiration comes from. You carry strong memories of your parents. Your mother taught you how to be a warrior; your father taught you how to be organized. You carry the best of both of them within you. I can sense your father disapproved of your chosen career path, yet you do not doubt that he loved you, still loves you."

"You will do well, but I feel I must caution you as I did your lover. You _must_ be ready for the darkness. It will consume you…consume all of us, if we are not strong enough to stop it." Mallene finished with, "The data I promised has been placed in your memory…I have no doubt you will be able to retrieve it with no problems."

Calis put her hands together under her chin, palm-to-palm, fingertips up, and bowed slightly towards both. "Pleasant evening, both of you. I look forward to talking to you during the next few days, Samantha Traynor."

With that, she turned and left their apartment.

* * *

_A/N: Just a quick note of appreciation for my new Beta reader - _**Desert Sunrise**_ is rapidly becoming my 'go to' source for all things Asari, and is one heck of an astute person. I believe our combined skills will result in better stories from each of us, although it's a bit of a one-way exchange at this point. Must be all that high desert air helping to contribute to _**D.S.'s**_ prodigious output! Thanks to all for reading. Reviews happily accepted!_


	9. 2180 – Year of the Dragon

_Much stronger boys in her class soon learned that it could be quite unpleasant to fight with that skinny girl. Unlike other girls in the class, she never backed down, and she would not for a second hesitate to use her fists or any weapon at hand to protect herself. She went around with the attitude that she would rather be beaten to death than take any shit. - _Stieg Larsson,_ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_

* * *

· WEAPONS DOME – WEEK TWO ·

Samantha was back in weapons training, and despite Gunny's promise to teach her about heavy pistols, she was learning the intricacies of a number of other sniper rifles; the logic being that one should be familiar with _any_ weapon that could be retrieved during a mission. She wasn't expected to qualify on the range with these weapons – she merely needed to have an understanding of their components, how they were put together and how to operate the gun as efficiently as possible. She had advanced from the _Volkov_ to one of the rarest sniper rifles seen outside of the Kite's Nest, the _Lightning Strike_ model 10 from Batarian State Arms. While its 'stats' were certainly less by comparison, it was still a very good rifle, able to take a beating and continue to fire accurately, and it was surprisingly easy to maintain.

Gunny had a surprise for her at mid-week – he pulled a _Harpoon_ out of its custom case. This rifle was manufactured by Kassa Fabrication, a human-controlled private company. The weapon appeared similar to those manufactured by Elanus Risk Control, Hahne-Kedar and Elkoss Combine. Though it was not quite as capable of inflicting damage as the _Volkov_, it was a bit more accurate and had a marginally better cool down time. The gun was incredibly expensive, meaning she'd probably never encounter one left behind by a previous owner.

Gunny saved the best rifle for the last day of the week – a Master line Spectre Gear _HMWSR_ rifle. This was the pinnacle of long-range guns, with an accuracy level 34% greater than the _Lightning Strike_; it gave up less than 1% to the Harpoon's cool-down time but was capable of dealing 42% more damage per shot. Firing the gun was a real treat for Samantha. From a prone position with the frame resting on a heavy sandbag, she was able to hit several targets at an incredible distance of 960 meters. It was a real disappointment for her to know she'd probably never be able to own one.

* * *

After using the best sniper rifles available, pistol training seemed a bit of a let down, until she discovered the adrenalin rush from running, dodging, covering and firing them. Gunny started her out with a basic, no-frills gun from one of the smaller turian weapons manufacturers, Haliat Armory. Their _Stiletto_ model 10, like the rest of their product line, was a basic level weapon of high quality. More importantly, weapons and replacement parts were readily available in the Terminus Systems and Attican Traverse. It was simple to maintain and could do a fair amount of damage, particularly when equipped with ammo mods.

Traynor quickly worked through two other pistols Gunny had presented to her; she was able to gain a good working knowledge of the Kassa Fab _Razer_ and the Rosenkov _Karpov_.

As with the rifles, Gunny finished his firearms introduction with another Spectre Gear firearm, the _HMWP_ heavy pistol. Gunny took his time teaching her everything he could about this gun, as it was the sidearm with which she would be equipped when she was assigned to missions in the Terminus and Traverse. The bloody thing was the heaviest of all the pistols she'd worked with, mainly because it was designed for the turians. As Gunny was a survivor of the First Contact War, him having weapons designed for the mostly turian Spectre force seemed unusual to Sam and the other students; when questioned about it, he simply explained he knew a young turian in C-Sec that saw no problem with helping the humans in any manner necessary.

As for the gun itself, damage and accuracy improvements over the _Stiletto_ more than made up for its disproportionate weight, it was simple to maintain, used commonly available parts and could take a lot of punishment without failing at a critical time.

When Gunny had finished showing her everything he knew about the _HMWP_, he turned her loose on the range so she could practice on the targets that jumped up or out in random, never-in-the-same-place-twice locations. She later felt it'd been the best day she'd experienced so far.

* * *

During this time, Xiùlán had been undergoing advanced omni-tool training under the watchful eyes of Mallene Calis and her small team of huntresses. Calis had been particularly impressed with Yuán's 'take no prisoners' approach to hand-to-hand combat. She had seen few asari with such an attitude; still fewer had been human, and never in her nearly 400 years had she witnessed such a brutally efficient human of _either_ gender as Yuán Xiùlán.

She had actually had to intervene during one of her supervised lessons – Xiùlán had quickly and convincingly taken Aglyna T'Sega, an asari huntress of nearly 285 years experience, to the ground and would have permanently finished her with an omni-tool 'straight blade' up into her vitals if Mallene hadn't hit Yuán with a short-lived stasis field. When the field wore off after several seconds, her victim had been moved out from under Xiùlán's fist and been substituted with a cloth bag containing a form of ballistic gel, into which Xiùlán had 'fired' the blade; when 'fired', the blade traveled completely through the gel. Xiùlán, her battle-trance ended, had expressed amazement the asari would put one of their own in such peril.

The huntress's pride had been her only injury; after reviewing the recorded vid of her loss to Yuán, Aglyna conceded she had never expected to be taken down in such a convincing fashion by a mere human, and said as much when next they'd talked.

"How did you learn to be so vicious, Yuán?" T'Sega took a sip of _Chandra_ sweetened Thessian tea as she relaxed during lunch with this most interesting human.

"I don't think of myself as being _vicious_, as you say," Xiùlán replied. "Efficient, yes, but not vicious, although I realize how my fighting style must look to someone unfamiliar with me." She paused to sip from her own cup before continuing. "I have been training since I was a child. Fighting as I do comes naturally for me, like breathing. I don't have to think about it. I can 'see' in my mind what needs to be done – the actions, the moves, all of it, by simply observing my opponents, whether one or twenty."

Aglyna was amazed. "How can you be so sure of yourself, Yuán? Asari Huntresses are some of the most highly trained fighters in the galaxy. Surely their biotics…"

"Ah, _that's_ where I am defenseless, my friend. I possess no biotic abilities of any kind," Xiùlán interrupted. "I was born and raised on Earth, in a part of the world that was never exposed to the eezo _accidents_ that afflicted other parts of our planet."

"So, you're saying I would have been able to beat you if my own biotics had not been blocked," Aglyna said in surprise.

"My defenses against someone, anyone, are designed to counter physical threats. If I can reach you, I can kill you in the blink of an eye; your biotics would not be able to save you. However, four or more together? I could kill two, possibly three, but only if the fourth person didn't hesitate to attack me with their own biotics, just as Mallene Calis hit me with a stasis field right before I put a blade through your body."

Without the faintest hint of arrogance she continued, "For every action an opponent makes, I have a counter, a reaction. I could fight ten or more huntresses at the same time without any of them laying a finger on me_ if_ there were no biotic abilities to consider. Most would be dead before I finished dealing with them all."

Aglyna finished her tea as she observed, "Your skills are not of much use against guns either."

"Correct. My hand-to-hand skills are just that…for hand-to-hand combat. They were developed centuries ago before guns were in widespread use. That is why I strive for balance. I will master _all_ the tools of the trade before I am needed to carry out an assignment." Finishing her tea, she asked, "This is very good. Might I have a bit more?"

* * *

· FIELD GEAR AND ARMOR SHOP ·

Samantha had been given a break from weapons training so she could be fitted for the numerous ceramic armor plates that would form her main physical protection from weapons fire. The four-piece underlying suit was crafted in thin layers of carbon infused ballistic fibers, woven in alternating layers for flexibility. The sleeves, woven in a similar fashion, attached to the shoulders of the main shirt with heavy duty hook and pile fasteners; this allowed for easy repair or replacement of damaged sections, plus they could be readily removed in the field for repairs as well as for first aid to the arms.

The shirt itself was form fitting, an important feature, as the ceramic ablative armor had to mold to the owner's curves as well. Traynor was fitted with and issued 'under the armor' underpants and undershirt with a built-in, custom fitted support bra, different from the items she normally wore under her duty uniform; once so clad, she pulled on the carbon fiber suit pants and shirt. The fitters made sure everything was fastened and squared away correctly, as the next operation was crucial to comfort and protection in the field.

Traynor stood under a device with a 'C'-shaped arm hanging from a ceiling pivot; at the end of the short lower leg of the 'C' was a wide-angle laser emitter. Every piece of clothing she was wearing had to be wrinkle free and conform to her body perfectly; the arm carrying the scanner would rotate 360º around her, scanning top to bottom, in order to form a complete 3-D image, including her head. Her armor plates and helmet would be cast from this virtual map, conforming perfectly to her body's contours when finished.

"Wouldn't this body scan be more precise without any clothes?" she'd asked the techs as they'd labored to make sure her under-armor was correctly positioned and wrinkle free.

"Possibly," came the answer, "except we've found the scanner is so precise it needs to account for the thickness of your underwear – otherwise, the hard shells can be too restrictive, particularly the chest plate. If your boobs were not slightly compressed and supported by your bra and shirt, the lower edges of the hard shell's curves would be inaccurately located. Same goes for your arms and legs – you have considerable muscle mass for a female, so the plates for those areas have to be slightly larger in circumference than would normally be expected."

The tech grinned at her as he finished positioning her arms away from her sides. "Now, don't move. When I tell you, take a deep breath, exhale completely, then take a normal breath and hold it. Scan will begin at the center of your back. Ready?"

Sam nodded; the tech said, "Deep breath, exhale, normal breath and hold." She did as she had been instructed, then closed her eyes as she heard the scanner start its circular path.

The machine made two quick circles around her; the tech said, "Okay Ms Traynor, take a couple of breaths, then hold for me again." Once again, she heard the motors above her head send the scanner arm around her, this time taking twice as long to complete one circuit.

"Okay Ma'am, we're done. Want to take a look?"

Sam moved to the control console, which had a life sized wire-frame holo-image of her slowly rotating above a floor-mounted display projector. "That's really me? Hard to believe my arms and legs are that muscled up."

"That will be the model for your armor. We'll send a text when we need you back in for your first fitting."

* * *

* 2179/11/15 through 2179/12/30 *

In the weeks leading up to the New Year's break, Xiùlán and Samantha had been so busy they barely had the time, never mind the energy, to enjoy each other's company in the evenings. Samantha had found an exercise room she could adjust to her liking, meaning gravity set to 1.6 greater than Earth normal, atmospheric pressure equal to 0.85 kg/cm². Her workouts on the heavy bag were guaranteed to drain whatever extra energy she possessed at the end of a day filled with classes she felt were designed to make her brain implode.

In addition to her physical and combat training and along with her hand-to-hand training (which was increasingly becoming problematic, as no one except Xiùlán wished to spar with her), she was being instructed in everything there was to know about quantum communications, including how to set up the equipment, how to manually compensate for time/distance/velocity lag, even how to 'piggyback' a carrier wave through another transmitter. Her technical instructors were teaching the different ways to hack into asari, turian and batarian computers and electronics equipment, while her physical instructors were demonstrating the most efficient ways of killing asari, turian, batarian, krogan and salarian opponents using only her hands, elbows, feet and other parts of her body. She had the temerity to question the wisdom of physically attacking an asari, given their biotic abilities; she was told they were being instructed in stealth for that very reason. She afterwards kept her doubts to herself, believing that attacking a trained biotic was a guaranteed death sentence.

It came as a surprise to both of them when they discovered that several of their human instructors were on loan from the Interplanetary Combat Academy - the 'N-School'. While Xiùlán and Sam were not training for _that_ program, a major part of their coursework was quite similar in difficulty and intensity. They both had become proficient at close-quarters combat (Xiùlán had been proficient _before_ she'd started the classes) and Traynor had successfully completed combat lifesaver training. Courses in alien biology and alien languages were still to come. While they wouldn't receive the coveted 'N'-classification for their efforts, their service records _would_ reflect successful completion of all the additional training.

Sam and Xiùlán had each received their custom manufactured armor; both had selected solid black without a hint of gloss. Sam's had ebony tinted deep red trim, while Xiùlán had chosen a green tinted nearly down to a deep jade. Traynor had assisted her friend in setting up her suit computer and helmet's heads up display to her liking; she'd expressed amazement at the amount of room inside Xiùlán's compared to her own until she watched her get 'armored up'. Xiùlán braided her long hair, then coiled and pinned it behind and atop her head before pulling the helmet on. When it was fastened and hooked into her suit, an observer standing outside would never know the woman had hair long enough to brush the small of her back.

They'd each spent time with 'Gunny' in the Weapons Dome making sure their weapons docks were correctly configured for their chosen guns – Sam's sniper rifle, pistol and shotgun; Xiùlán's assault rifle and shotgun. Once armored up and with weapons docked, they'd been sent on cross-country runs in a variety of environments; everything from the Martian surface to simulated salarian jungles to high altitude/high gravity deserts. All of Traynor's workouts in high grav/altitude conditions really paid off here, as she bested everyone in her class except Xiùlán.

The last week of the year was a 'free' week, meaning staff and students could relax. Sam had a special gift for her lover…an item she'd only just received from Earth. Knowing that Chinese women loved receiving gifts, Sam had been feeling increasingly guilty about her negligence in that aspect of their relationship. The last 'present' she'd given Xiùlán had been herself. This time Sam had a more tangible gift for her – Xiùlán enjoyed wearing necklaces when she wasn't wearing a uniform, so Samantha had found a unique present, something she felt was ideal.

Sam had invented a nickname for her friend, based on an English pronunciation of her given name. She called her out of their bedroom. "Linn, I need to see you out here, please."

Yuán, wearing an old sweatshirt over a pair of cut-off jeans, walked out to join her. "What's up?"

Sam motioned to one of the chairs in their small kitchen/dining area as she replied, "Sit for a minute. I need to look at something." Xiùlán took a seat, wondering what Sam was about to do.

Samantha bent down, kissed her lover on the cheek, whispered "Wǒ ài nǐ, Yuán Xiùlán." [我愛你 -_ I love you, Yuán Xiùlán_] in her ear, then stood directly behind her. "Raise your arms and close your eyes, Luv."

Xiùlán did as requested; before she could protest, Samantha deftly removed Xiùlán's sweatshirt, pulling it up and off over her head and outstretched arms, leaving her wearing only her bra and shorts. Sam gently and lovingly massaged her lover's well-muscled shoulders and upper back for several minutes. Retrieving her hands prompted a murmured protest. "Don't stop, Sam. Feels good when you do that." Tipping her head back, she started to open her eyes, only to receive an upside down kiss on her forehead.

"No peeking, Luv." Sam had Xiùlán's present in her hands. "Keep 'em closed." Without another word, she reached over her head, set something cool on her bare skin just above the center of her bra and fastened a chain at the back of her neck. Xiùlán opened her eyes and looked down as Traynor smiled and declared, "Happy New Year, Linn! Well, it's still a month away for you, so it's an early present. I couldn't wait to give it to you! Hope you like it!"

Sam had placed a pendant on a chain around her lover's neck. Xiùlán gingerly picked it up for a closer look. "My god, Samantha! What is…where in the world did you get this?" She slowly stood and turned, facing her friend with a look that mixed delight, love and puzzlement in equal parts as she examined the unusual object she'd been given.

"It's a tooth from a tiger shark…very old…more than 450 years, probably closer to 485 or 490. A jeweler I know in Shanghai made the polished gold cap and did the platinum and gold inlay…chain is gold as well." Sam clasped and unclasped her hands nervously. "Be careful…edges are still quite sharp…serrations could slice you if you're not cautious. Do you like it? I mean…I wasn't sure…didn't know what…you'd like. I…"

Xiùlán placed her fingertips on Sam's lips to stop her from rambling. "It's absolutely stunning! I love it, Samantha! It's beautiful!" She enveloped Sam in her arms, replacing her fingertips with her own lips, kissing and hugging her passionately; Sam returned both kiss _and_ hug, thrilled at being able to spring this surprise on her.

Xiùlán grabbed her friend by her upper arms and pushed back gently. "No one outside of family has _ever_ given me anything this nice," she whispered, lips just brushing Sam's. "I will treasure this forever, Sēn měi." She tenderly placed her lips against Sam's once again, kissing her unhurriedly and thoroughly as she again embraced her and dug her fingers into the small of Sam's back.

Traynor finally pushed away slightly in order to catch her breath, the warmth of physical need spreading outward from her core. Looking down at the twin mounds of barely covered breasts before her, she huffed, "Keep kissing me like _that_ and your bra is coming off."

Xiùlán's response was to release her lover and back-pedal towards their bedroom as she reached up behind her back to unhook and remove her bra; she waved it teasingly at Sam and purred, "You catch me, you can have me," before tossing the garment at her.

* * *

* SALARIAN FREIGHTER _MV CRYSTAL SCARAB_ *  
· Leaving _Nonuel_, _Plutus System_, Hades Gamma Cluster, 2180/01/03 ·

Captain Uzor Saelon stalked the area behind his pilot, impatience showing in his every move. He had set course and was making a hard burn for the Antaeus System, a trip that would take at least three weeks, probably four. Depending on the orbital position of the Mass Relay there, he'd have another twelve to eighteen hours of travel time before being able to set out for the Gemini Sigma cluster.

Septivus Vulpez, the turian mercenary paying for this trip, was hunting for an artifact from the dawn of space exploration…before the turians…before even his own race had achieved space flight. The asari had been traveling the galaxy for many years before salarians had left Sur'Kesh to claim their own place among the stars. A number of Matriarchs had left Thessia around 540 BCE, with no destination or plan other than exploration. Only six were ever heard from again; the rest had vanished without a trace, with the exception of one. Matriarch Dilinaga's remains had been discovered, along with pages torn from a journal of her notes.

The turian had discovered a mercenary outpost on the surface of Nonuel, with two long dead mercs lying in the ash and cinders on either side of a large crate. If the footprints in the ash were any guide, the mercs were facing each other over the crate when they died; each suffered a single gunshot wound in the chest…each still clutched an ancient gun.

Septivus had cautiously pried the crate open and discovered a carefully wrapped, handwritten copy of one of Matriarch Dilinaga's treatises. It seemed unlikely she penned it herself, but the flowing brushwork and intricate watercolor illustrations were clearly the handiwork of a master scribe.

Of greater interest to Saelon, one of the mercs was found to be carrying a League of One medallion. This was more interesting as an historical artifact than something of great value, but Saelon expected he'd be able to turn this bit of good fortune to his advantage when he was finally able to return to Sur'Kesh.

Vulpez's reason for traveling to the Gemini Sigma cluster was due to a hint within Matriarch Dilinaga's notes – there was mention of an ancient object, a highly detailed figurine of Janiri, the ancient asari goddess of seasons, storms, and agriculture. It was rumored to have been carved from a solid piece of Thessian metamorphic rock, a material of like kind and quality as grey veined marble from Earth; standing no more than 50 centimeters high, it would be something relatively easy to smuggle past an antiquities inspector on the Citadel.

Captain Saelon walked through the short passageway to the passenger compartment. Finding Vulpez studying the asari notebook, he coughed lightly to announce his presence. "We are on our way to the relay, Septivus. Travel time will be approximately four weeks, plus time within the system to reach the relay. Have you been able to determine any more information concerning this artifact?"

The turian glanced up from the notebook. "This is a find of great significance, Uzor," indicating the ancient book. "That it has survived all this time relatively undamaged? A minor miracle." He caressed the binding with an odd reverence. "The asari government will pay handsomely for this book of scribbles."

"I don't see what makes this so valuable, Septivus."

The turian chuckled, sub-harmonics deepening the timbre to an evil-sounding lilt. "To a relatively short-lived race such as yours…or even mine, Uzor, the value can seem to be…inflated…beyond all reason. Think of this volume as just one of a number concerning the generational information concerning your family…how you breed…what alignments you need to achieve for greatness." The turian's eyes glinted with a passion Saelon hadn't previously seen, but he nodded anyway. "You may have all but a few of the total volumes, and yet without _this_ one volume, you're line is completely broken." Saelon nodded again, still wondering where this wily old merc was going with his explanation.

"Now consider the asari. A thousand-year lifespan. A number of their Matriarchs were in their what?… 800's?…900's or so when they set out to explore, to learn what there was… out _there_." Vulpez waved his left hand around above his head to emphasize his point. "Out there, my friend. Not since the Protheans has any civilization been capable of doing what they did, Uzor!…until the asari achieved spaceflight, discovered the relays?! The writings of this one asari are all that's been discovered of her explorations, the explorations of any of those that never returned! The figurine I'm searching for may not have much value to your or me, but to the asari republic, it'd be a priceless relic from their golden age of exploration, a time before there was even a council."

"But the asari formed the council with the salarians in 500 BCE, Septivus."

"Ah, but the turians were not represented for 1400 years after, my salarian friend. How could there possibly be a functioning council with only two representatives, I ask you? There would only be a consensus if each representative voted yes or no. How would a split vote be decided?"

Saelon couldn't think of a reasonable response, so turned and went to his own quarters. It appeared he was in for a long four weeks.

* * *

ALIEN RESEARCH STATION, SOUTH POLE, MARS, 2180/01/03

SC1 Heather Gonzales stepped from the shuttlecraft into the massive hanger bay above the excavated remains created by the unknown race responsible for construction of the Mass Relays and the Citadel, the seat of power in the galaxy. Looking around as she walked with several of her classmates to the nearby elevator that would descend into the abandoned station, she marveled at the size of this portion of the underground facility. Knowing that the rest of the ancient remains were even further underground simply reinforced her impression that the aliens responsible for all this, whoever or whatever they were, had been master engineers.

As she had tested so well on ancient languages, Gonzales was going to spend the next five weeks working, together with her classmates, alongside the scientists and researchers responsible for cataloging and archiving the vast store of records that were being unearthed at an enormous rate. The aliens responsible for all this had vanished as if they had never existed, by some accounts, nearly 50,000 years ago. It was as if, one day long ago, they had been abruptly recalled back to whatever system they called 'home'.

Of all the records discovered, of everything uncovered, not a single _body_ had been found. Admittedly, there were a large number of habitable planets in the galaxy that had yet to be scanned or explored by anyone, but no organic remains had been discovered thus far. Heather was somehow comforted to know that none had been found here, on Mars; she had no desire to discover someone's tomb, no matter how long ago that 'person' had died.

Once settled into her dorm room with the other women accompanying her, she sent a brief note to Samantha lamenting the loss of privacy she would have to endure for the next month, but also wrote about her happiness at having an opportunity to learn more about the ancient people thought to be responsible for building the relays and the Citadel, something that far outweighed any negative feelings she had concerning her accommodations. She closed by wishing Samantha (and Xiùlán) good health for the coming year, and promised to send another note soon.

* * *

_A/N: As it turns out, 2180 actually __**will**__ be the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese calendar repeats on a twelve year cycle – the most recent 'Dragon' year was 2012, the next will be 2024. Thanks again to **Desert Sunrise** for serving as my Beta reader and allowing me to import a small quantity of Chandra for my afternoon tea. As always, the favor of reviews is humbly requested. Thanks for reading!_


	10. A Death in the Family

_To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. _\- Thomas Campbell

* * *

— RESEARCH STATION, ALIEN DIG SITE · SOUTH POLE, MARS, 2180/01/08 —

Heather Gonzales had been assigned the task of cataloging the excavated fragments from dig site 'Theta'. Most of the recovered items from this area were small, flat and generally no more than 10 to 15 centimeters across, and consisted of some unknown type of polymer, off-white in color on both sides. Some appeared to have been in the middle of a larger whole, as all their edges were irregular; others looked to have been part of an outer edge. A very few had micro-connectors along the edges, with circuitry sandwiched within, visible as ghostly shadows when held up to a strong light source. General consensus was the pieces were the remnants of a shattered computer display panel. All of the pieces discovered thus far were estimated to be only a third of the entire panel.

Heather's job, after photo-recording each piece front and back, was to seal them in clear poly bags and record the location where each had been found. Once placed in the bag, the open ends were simultaneously sealed and date/time stamped. All of these bags were then sorted by type of relic and date recovered and filed away in containers to be stored on site.

While the job itself was not difficult, it also was not challenging. After two days of such monotonous work, Heather felt like her brain was turning into mush and was in danger of oozing out of her ears if she wasn't assigned another task.

The project leader for this section of the dig site was an archeologist from North America who had been recalled from the excavation of ruins discovered on Eden Prime; Doctor Delbert Wright's discoveries _there_ had been linked to some of the items being recovered _here_, all of which had been computer analyzed to have been created between fifty to fifty-one thousand years ago.

As had been discovered on Eden Prime, Mars had yet to yield any organic remains. Admittedly, excavations at both sites were still in their early stages, but based on discoveries made at human sites on Earth, prevailing wisdom held that a population of advanced people would hold ceremonies and bury their dead locally; no evidence of that had been discovered at either site.

Saturday was a scheduled half-day for work; not wanting to waste the day's limited time, she made quick work of her breakfast then hastened down to the office beside the dig site. As she approached the main entryway, she felt the tingling on the back of her neck that usually indicated something wasn't quite right. Pausing outside the sectional hatch, she listened for a few moments; where there should have at least been noises associated with two or three people moving about and conversing as they worked, there was nothing but dead silence.

Taking a deep breath, Heather entered in her key code for the door lock. The 'error' code she received was unexpected. She tried again – same result. Wishing her friend Traynor was here, she used her omni-tool in an attempt to hack the lock. After several seconds and a couple of false starts, she succeeded in forcing the electronic lock to unlatch the door. Standing to one side of the door frame she waved her arm past the center-mount latch and was rewarded by the door segments parting and receding into their slots on either side of the opening.

She remembered Traynor's tactics when confronting Joesiar and Hobe in the hallway at the moon base, and employed one of them now. Activating her omni-tool, she started it recording audio of her surroundings as she used it to hack into the main security computer. Viewing video from the camera in the main work area just inside revealed nothing except the same mess she could glimpse through the open door, which she assumed to be the result of an apparent struggle or a bungled attempt by someone to find something of value.

Carefully entering the room, she saw research notes and clipboards scattered all over the tables and floor, computer monitors lying about broken, overturned chairs and wall hangings askew. She closed the main entrance door and relocked it, using an encryption code she'd purloined from security when she hacked the camera feeds.

The mess appeared to be worse towards the rear, down a short hallway to Doctor Wright's office. She carefully made her way down the passage, hugging one wall as she silently moved closer to the door; a standard pocket door, it was made for privacy, not security, and was partially open, as if it had been jammed in its tracks.

She changed the signal source from the security computer in order to gain a clandestine view of Doctor Wright's office before entering. She recorded the video from the lone camera in the ceiling as she had it pivot through 180 degrees to 'look' into all four corners of the room. What she saw on her monitor sent chills up her spine…Doctor Wright was lying on the floor next to the wall behind his desk, and there was a man with a hood over his head going through the doctor's electronic files in an apparent search for…something.

Heather sent an emergency call for security personnel as she carefully retraced her steps back up the passageway to the main room and continued to monitor the hooded figure with video on her omni-tool. As she moved into another short passage leading to the restrooms, it appeared the mystery person had finished the search…a gloved hand activated an omni-tool, apparently to download whatever information had been discovered on Doctor Wright's personal server; after several seconds, the mystery person entered several commands, then closed the tool as Heather's video feed went dark. _'Damn! He's hacked the security cams,'_ she thought. Before closing her tool, she sent another urgent message to security and included everything she had recorded. Leaving the tool set for audio recording, she reset it for combat mode, just in case she was discovered in the restroom. As she silently backed through the door into the room, a bare hand covered her mouth while a muscular arm encircled her waist and pulled her bodily backwards into the darkened compartment, allowing the door to close silently after her.

"Don't scream, Gonzales!" a familiar voice whispered harshly in her ear. "It's me…Marianna. I was in here when all the noise started in the workroom." The woman took her hand away from Heather's mouth as she spun her around to face her. "What the hell is happening out there? Did you see Doctor Wright?"

Heather took a deep breath to calm herself before whispering a reply to Marianna Walsh. "He's face down on the floor in his office. Someone was in there ransacking his computer files, looking for god only knows what." She looked nervously over her shoulder at the sound of someone walking past the door. There was enough light coming under the door to see the intruder's shadow as it slowly went past. Gonzales continued, "I called security and locked the main entrance door with one of their algorithms. Hopefully they'll get here before…"

She wasn't able to finish her thought, as the thief came slowly back down the hall. They could hear the door to the men's restroom slide open; after a number of seconds it closed. "Into the stall, Walsh. Stand on the toilet and crouch down…move!" In the dark, Heather and Marianna each went into a stall and hid, waiting for the trespasser to enter their hiding place. Heather continued to watch their door from above the privacy wall. The shadow stopped in front of their door. Heather ducked down just as the door slid open and the overhead lights came on.

"I know you're in here," a deep, gravelly voice said. "Come out before I have to waste my time looking for you. Maybe I'll let you go after we have a bit of fun together." There was no doubt in Heather's mind about the 'fun' this jerk intended to have. What she couldn't fathom was how he could know she or anybody else was in here.

Heather was in the first of the two stalls in this restroom; readying her omni-tool and taking an offensive posture, she waited as she prayed Walsh would remain silent.

Without warning, the door to her stall slammed open with a kick; Heather straightened her legs and leapt like a voracious wildcat. Diving forward from the rim of the toilet, she used her right hand to grab his throat, shoving the surprised intruder violently back with the weight of her momentum. He spread his arms wide in a vain attempt to regain his balance as he came up against the sinks and mirrored wall, which allowed her to fold her arm down so she could put her upper torso hard into his chest; as the wind was knocked out of him with a 'WHOooooffff', her left fist connected with his right shoulder, allowing her omni-tool to propel the instantly fabricated blade through his body just under his collar bones. He screamed in agony as the super-heated ceramic pierced his scapula, shattered the mirror and embedded itself in the wall behind him, pinning him in place like a giant insect in a collector's case. His attempt to reach around her with his left arm was quickly aborted as the motion sent more waves of pain coursing through his body.

"Gonzales!" Walsh exclaimed as Heather backed away from the man; Marianna wrapped her arms around Heather as she bumped backwards into her roommate.

Heather suddenly understood how dire her situation was as the edge of a curved knife was placed hard against her throat. She started to struggle to free herself, but stopped instantly when she felt a sharp pain where the blade kissed her neck. "My god! Marianna! What the hell?…" Gonzales could feel something…blood, she guessed, slowly trickling down her neck below the knife blade.

"I'm really sorry you had to get involved in this, Heather." Marianna said, her tone suggesting she was anything but. "We had hoped to avoid any casualties. You should have listened to Darius. We could have had a bit of fun…well, it might not have been fun for you, but…," she left the thought unfinished. "Now, we have a mess on our hands, and I'm afraid I need to finish you so I can leave."

So saying, she pulled the knife savagely across Heather's throat, severing both carotid arteries and her windpipe. She attempted to cry out as her body sagged; Marianna let her collapse to the floor, then turned towards the entrance as security arrived in the form of two marines, a Gunnery Sergeant and a Corporal. Both had their pistols up as they came in and stopped short. "You Gonzales?" the sergeant asked.

"Marianna Walsh," she replied weakly. "These two," she indicated the moaning Darius and the dying woman bleeding out on the floor, "work for Cerberus. They were trying to steal Doctor Wright's notes on the progress of the excavation here."

Keeping his pistol pointed at her, Gunnery Sergeant McBride said, "You, Ma'am, are a goddamned liar. Put the knife down, slowly. Set it on the floor."

"I don't understand. I barely managed to…"

"Put the weapon on the deck _now_, Serviceman!" McBride's demeanor left no doubt in Walsh's mind he'd shoot her if she did anything other than what he'd ordered. She slowly crouched and set the knife on the floor next to Heather's body.

"Now, turn towards the far wall, get on your knees, spread your legs and feet apart, place your hands on the back of your head and interlace your fingers"

"You're arresting me? What the hell for?"

"I'm pointing a gun at your head. You're asking questions I'm not going to answer until I have you in binders, Ms Walsh. Now shut your damned mouth and do as I said."

Marianna slowly complied with McBride's instructions. Corporal Phillips came up behind her, kicked her feet further apart before stepping between them; she quickly grabbed her right hand and jerked her arm down and around behind her back, stopping when she heard a grunt of discomfort from Walsh. Holding onto the binder she'd placed on Walsh's right wrist, she grabbed her other hand and treated her left arm in a similar fashion. "Get up, Walsh," Phillips growled as she tugged upwards on her binder restrained wrists.

Once Walsh was on her feet and facing McBride, Phillips carefully patted her down for hidden weapons before shoving her back against the wall to the side opposite the sinks. Placing her hands on Walsh's shoulders, Phillips pushed down hard, forcing Walsh to bend her legs and slide down the wall until her butt was on the floor. "Sit here. Don't even think of moving."

As Marianna stared resentfully up at Phillips, then at McBride, the corporal went over to check on the injured Darius. Because the omni-blade had been white-hot when it had pierced his shoulder, there was very little blood from the cauterized wound. Darius was moaning in pain and unable to do anything except hang there at an uncomfortable angle. McBride called for backup to assist them in getting the man off the blade pinning him to the wall before turning his attention to Walsh.

"Your little act was not very convincing, Walsh. The summons we received came from Heather Gonzales."

McBride looked down at the body on the floor as Corporal Phillips knelt beside her. "The serviceman also forwarded everything she recorded with her omni-tool _as she_ recorded it, including her conversation with you, up to and including when you cut her throat."

He stepped aside as two more people arrived from security to assist in clearing the room. "Truth of the matter is _you_ are the one working for Cerberus. Gonzales didn't kill this idiot…" pointing towards Darius, "…even though she had the perfect opportunity. Too bad she didn't get the chance to end you."

McBride moved to stand in front of Walsh, grabbed her uniform at the shoulder and yanked her to her feet; shifting his grip to the cloth at the middle of her chest, he pulled her towards him as his frown turned grim. "You murdered an Alliance recruit for no other reason than she was doing her job," he whispered in a menacing tone. "Personally, I hope you try to make a run for it. I'll be happy to save everyone the expense of a trial. The only thing left to discover is how many years you're going to spend in a 3x3 meter cell."

Walsh responded by raising her knee, hitting McBride hard in his crotch with the top of her thigh. As he cried out in pain and bent over, she head-butted him, knocking him to the floor. Marianna attempted to get past the hulking gunnery sergeant, only to get struck full in the face by Corporal Phillips. She grunted in pain as her nose and lips began bleeding. Phillips wasn't done; she hit the hand-cuffed woman twice more, causing her to land hard on the floor as she tripped backwards over McBride's prone body. She groaned in pain as she spit out a tooth and a mouthful of blood.

"You're real goddamned brave against someone that can't fight back," Walsh sputtered.

Phillips answered by kicking her hard in the ribs. "Why should I give a murdering bitch like you any opportunity to fight back, when you didn't allow Gonzales the same privilege? Now get your miserable ass up off the deck so we can escort you to your new accommodations." Phillips was ready to hit Walsh again as she struggled to regain her feet without being able to use her hands.

McBride was standing bent over, hands on his knees as he spoke softly to the corporal. "Stand down, Claudine. I don't think this little Cerberus flunky will offer us any more resistance."

Speaking to the techs working to extricate Darius from where Heather had pinned him to the wall, he offered, "Don't worry about injuring that asshole when you extricate him from that blade. Make sure you _do_ treat the young woman on the floor with the respect she deserves." Pushing Marianna roughly out the door ahead of him, he motioned to Phillips. "Come on, Corporal. Let's get this prisoner to the first-aid station so she can get cleaned up. Can't tell which bloodstains are from her and which are from her victim."

* * *

Yuán Xiùlán entered her room and walked toward the kitchen. "Sam? Where are you?" The apartment she shared with Samantha Traynor was absolutely still. Her roommate… her lover…should be here. Saturday afternoons were usually quiet times, and Traynor normally didn't leave for anything unless she had no other choice. "Traynor!"

Xiùlán walked back to their bedroom and bath – empty. Nothing was disturbed, indicating that Traynor had been out most of the day. With a feeling of apprehension, Xiùlán opened her omni-tool, entered an inquiry and sent it. Traynor always answered her text messages, no matter how busy she was. Xiùlán closed her tool down and eased her tired body into one of the chairs in their lounge area.

Eyes closed, she willed her mind to relax as she concentrated on her breathing. _'Slow, even breaths…center yourself…ignore all distracting thoughts…concentrate on your breath…clear your mind…center…breathe…'_ One could be forgiven for thinking Xiùlán was asleep. Her body was at rest, her mind at peace, her breathing slow and regular, but she was totally aware of all around her. She grimaced inwardly as the entrance door opened, allowing her lover to enter. Outwardly, she was the picture of calm, but she knew without opening her eyes that Sam was extremely upset. She whispered, "What has happened, Sà mǐ?" [薩米 -_ Sami_]

Samantha Traynor was nearly in tears. "She's dead, Xiùlán. Heather…" her voice hitched as she said their friend's name, "…Heather…she's…my _god_! She was murdered, Xiùlán. Some woman…at the excavation site…killed her…cut her throat. Why would…anyone want to…want to hurt _Heather_?" The tears were cascading now, overwhelming Traynor's best efforts at preventing them from flowing down her cheeks. In one fluid motion Xiùlán's eyes opened as she stood and pulled Sam into a tight embrace, whispering calming words as she massaged Sam's back and shoulders. "What has happened, Samantha? Settle yourself. Tell me what you know."

Sam took a shuddering breath, then another, before she attempted to speak. "There was a break–in where she was assigned to work. She recorded it…on her omni-tool, Xiùlán…the whole thing is recorded, including…" Sam placed a hand across her mouth as she tried to rein in her emotions. "Security has her murderer in custody…woman named Marianna Walsh." Traynor could speak no further as her emotions overwhelmed her control; she clung to Xiùlán as she wept for the loss of their friend. Xiùlán held her tight, gently rubbing her back and shoulders until Traynor's sobs slowed and she was able to once again regain control.

Xiùlán moved her hands to Sam's upper arms and pushed her away slightly so she could look into her eyes. "Sammy, come over here. Sit down." She moved Traynor to one of the chairs in their small lounge. "Let me make a few calls, okay?" She grabbed some tissues from her desk and handed them to her distraught companion.

Sam wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "Thanks, Linn. It's…I can't believe she's gone." She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "We need to find out _why_, Xiùlán. There cannot possibly be any justification for this. We need to find out who _did_ this…who felt that killing someone…hell, a _student_…at an archeological dig site…was necessary."

"We'll get some answers, Sammy. Let me make a few calls…"

After a mostly frustrating hour and forty minutes, Xiùlán leaned back in her chair and cursed. Looking over at Traynor, she frowned as she said, "No one was really forthcoming as to exactly what happened there. I finally _did_ manage to talk with a Gunnery Sergeant…" Yuán looked at her notes before continuing, "…Barton McBride. He and a corporal…a Claudine Phillips…were first responders, caught the people involved. Woman that killed Gonzales was from our own unit, name is Marianna Walsh. Recognize it?"

"No. But then, there were a number of people in our class we never met. Might recognize her if I saw 'er. The only reason we knew…" Samantha's voice hitched yet again. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued with "…Heather…was because she was being harassed by _Joesiar_ and his friends. You don't suppose that's what got her killed, do you? She wouldn't be targeted because of _me_ helping her to stand up for herself, would she? Oh god, Xiùlán! Am _I_ the reason she's…dead? How the hell am I to _live_ with that?"

Yuán moved quickly to kneel in front of Sam. Taking her hands, she looked up at her friend and replied, "Sammy, you have to believe me when I tell you that Heather's death is in no way your fault. Gunny McBride told me Walsh and the man Heather stopped, some mudsack assigned to the maintenance department named, ummm, Darius Holden, were working for some syndicate called Cybaru…, no, Cerberus."

"What kind of group is that, Xiùlán? Who in 'ell are they?"

"Some kind of human-centric organization – believe humans should be the supreme force in the galaxy. They're looking for whatever edge they can buy, beg, borrow or steal in order to further their anti-alien agenda." Xiùlán gently rubbed the backs of Sammy's hands with her thumbs. "McBride said the general consensus among the scientists at the dig site is that it holds an immense wealth of information concerning the race of people that had spread galaxy wide – the information doesn't just concern the relays and FTL travel, it hints at the actual cause of their extinction. They were obliterated as if they never existed…just a few traces left here and there. They've barely even scratched the surface of what's buried there."

Xiùlán brought Sam's hands up, kissed her fingers, then stood and went to their kitchen, where she set a kettle of water on the stove to heat for tea, then returned to her desk and activated her extranet terminal. "I'm going to make one more call, Sammy. After we have some tea, we'll see about getting a ride over to the dig site."

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Samantha sniffled as she looked sorrowfully through the clear cover of the stasis pod at the body bag containing her friend. Heather was going to be taken back to the main facility for an autopsy (cause of death wasn't in question, but the procedure was routine in any murder case), as the aid station here didn't have the necessary equipment or even a medical examiner. "Will we be able to see her back on the base, Xiùlán?"

"You wouldn't want to look at her right now, Sà mǐ. The ME will get her body cleaned up and dressed for the trip back to Earth." Xiùlán looked at Traynor as she continued, "Heather's in a better place now, Luv. She would not want us to cry at her death, untimely as it was. She'd rather we smiled because she lived, and because it was our good fortune to know her, to be a part of her life, however short that time was."

"I want to see her murderer, Xiùlán," Traynor said through clenched teeth. "Just five minutes alone with her, no witnesses. I can guarantee she'll be in a much better place when I'm done with 'er."

Corporal Claudine Phillips happened to be walking by and stopped short when she overheard Traynor's comment. "You her friend, Serviceman?" Phillips looked intently at the pair standing by the stasis pod.

"Both of us, Corporal," Xiùlán answered as she introduced herself and Traynor. "Been together since the course began on Luna."

"Claudine Phillips," she responded. "Word of advice, for both of you. You want to avenge her death? I understand that, and I totally sympathize. But you need to go up the chain. Two people we have in custody?… bottom of that chain." Phillips gently reached out, placed one hand on Sam's shoulder and the other on Xiùlán's. In a low voice she said, "Satisfying as it'd be to kick the shit outta Walsh and Holden, it'd get us no closer to apprehending their handlers…the people that sent those two here in the first place. _That's_ who we need to bring to justice."

Xiùlán placed a hand on top of Phillips's hand on her shoulder as her eyes bored into the corporal's. "Word of advice for you, Corporal Phillips. Don't turn your back on either one of those people you're holding, especially Walsh. I did a quick bit of research on my way over here. If those two _are_ truly employed by Cerberus, they'll die before giving up anything useful. You need to have someone watching them every minute of every day they're in your custody, or they'll be dead, or _you'll_ be dead, either by their own hand or by someone tied to them."

"We'll be careful," Phillips responded. "We want to see them answer for their crimes just as much as you do, Serviceman." Pulling her hands back down, Phillips thought for a moment, then asked, "The bastard Gonzales stopped before she was killed…he was impaled on some sort of ceramic blade. Recovery team had a hellova time getting him down. I think they did more damage to his shoulder in the process. Any idea what she used?"

Xiùlán looked at Sam before responding. "Omni-tool blade. Can be fabricated and launched from atop our omni-tools. Edges have micro-teeth…tipped forward on one edge, backwards on the other. Very difficult to extract from whatever it's imbedded in."

Phillips nodded her head at Xiùlán's explanation. "Team said they had to break the blade off between the wall and his back. We're going to take him to the base for surgery to remove what's left. Went through his shoulder blade like it was tissue paper. Can't simply pull it out."

Sam grumbled, "Too bad it wasn't coated with vorcha toxin. All the pain-killers in the galaxy wouldn't be enough to quiet the screaming."

"Speaking of omni-tools, did you or the gunny recover Heather's omni-tool?" Xiùlán showed her bracelet to Phillips. "It doesn't look like a standard tool – very limited production…each one is bio-keyed to the individual wearing it, so it's of no use to anyone else. The organic key cannot be changed once it's set."

Claudine looked at Xiùlán's bracelet with a great deal of interest. "I wouldn't want to have _that_ come out of my pay. I'll check…see if it's among her personal effects. It may even still be on her wrist."

"Serrice Council's rep, Mallene Calis, is still at the base with several huntresses. I'm sure she would appreciate having Heather's omni-tool returned so the company can evaluate its performance; that said, I have to believe _any_ data retrieved will ultimately be perceived as not being worth the cost of a person's life."

The corporal nodded in agreement as she replied, "I'll do some looking, see if we can turn it up. If we can't, I'll let you know so you can ask the ME to look for it when the autopsy is performed." Phillips looked at her chronometer. "Shit! I have to get going. Good to meet you Traynor…Yuán. Remember what I said about going up the chain…and good luck."

* * *

* ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, 2180/01/12 *

A solemn Samantha Traynor sat in the outer waiting room of the Alliance ME assigned to perform the autopsy on Heather Gonzales. She was still somewhat in shock at the sudden death of her friend, and even though she had read and reread the incident report a number of times, she felt like she was not seeing everything, as if something had been left out of the report.

Now she just wished to see Heather one last time before her body was transferred back to Earth for burial. She could not imagine the anguish Heather's parents must be feeling about the death of their only daughter; Traynor started to tear up at that thought and quickly shifted her thoughts elsewhere, anywhere but the here and now. She had learned the ancient aliens responsible for all the artifacts discovered on Mars were called 'Prothean'; it was thought the site here at the Martian south pole had been used to clandestinely observe human progress on Earth, although 'modern' humans were thought to have only appeared about 100,000 years ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the unexpected entrance of a visitor. Mallene Calis walked into the waiting area and quietly asked, "Am I disturbing you, Ms Traynor?"

It took Samantha a moment to remember why the asari was here. She stood and, much to Mallene's surprise, embraced her as she whispered hoarsely, "My god, Mallene! I'm so glad you're here."

Somewhat taken aback by Traynor's greeting, Mallene briefly returned the young human's hug before gently grasping her upper arms and pushing back in order to look at her. "It is never easy to lose a friend, and that difficulty is only compounded when that loss is a result of homicidal violence. You have my deepest sympathy. But why are _you_ here, Ms Traynor?"

Traynor nodded her head as she dropped her arms. "I'm waiting to see Heather before she…," her voice hitched at the thought, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, "…before she's…transferred back to Earth…back to her parents." She returned to her seat, motioning for Calis to sit beside her.

"I will wait here with you, then," she answered as she took a seat. "You should not be alone, waiting here by yourself. If you don't mind my asking, where is Yuán Xiùlán?"

Traynor replied quietly, "Ahhh, I think…well, I'm not really sure, but…," Sam rubbed her temples with thumb and fingers of one hand. "…she may be in a field exercise with Huntress Aglyna T'Sega…she said she'd be here as soon as she could. I had hoped she'd be…" Traynor used both hands to 'scrub' her face.

Mallene placed a hand atop Sam's shoulder. "Your _siame_ will be here for you, Samantha Traynor. In the meantime, I will wait with you."

Sam dropped her hands heavily in her lap and cocked a quizzical eye at the asari. " '_Siame_'? I've never heard that word before. What does it mean?"

"It's Thessian…means _'one who is all'_…a loved one cherished above all others. That is how you feel about Ms Yuán, is it not?"

Samantha smiled shyly, still not totally at ease speaking about Xiùlán with nearly total strangers. "She _is_ my…siame…as you say. I've loved her since the first moment I laid eyes on her, my god, just a year ago. It took her a while to see me in the same way."

"You are not at ease discussing your love of another human?"

Traynor looked at the asari for a few moments before understanding the meaning of the question. "What? No, well…yes. It's…damn, how do I explain?" She covered her eyes with her hand as she thought about all the things…all the different ways…she loved Xiùlán.

Mallene was patiently waiting as Traynor looked at her again and hesitantly continued, "You do realize that humans are not like asari, in that we cannot reproduce with others of the same gender. There are still places on my home planet where I…we…could be arrested, thrown in prison or even killed simply because we love each other."

"But why should your love for each other be of any concern to others?" Mallene was clearly puzzled by this revelation.

Traynor was starting to answer when the door opened for Xiùlán and Aglyna T'Sega. Xiùlán greeted Traynor with that broad grin she never displayed for anyone else. "Sà mǐ! I…we…got here as soon as we were done. You haven't been called in yet?"

Xiùlán took notice of Mallene Calis and quickly acknowledged her presence. "Ms Calis. Nice to see you again."

Mallene stood and greeted Xiùlán. "You brought Aglyna with you?"

Aglyna answered for Xiùlán. "I asked to accompany Yuán. She said she was going to bid farewell to a fallen comrade. I wish to pay my respects as well…," here she looked at Samantha, to whom she had not been introduced. "…if it is permitted."

Traynor stood and held out her right hand. "Thank you for coming…Heather…would appreciate it." As she clasped Aglyna's hand in greeting, the double doors on the far side of the room swung open. After glancing in that direction, Traynor continued, "Your presence is…" she began tearing up again, but managed to finish, "…is…most welcome, Aglyna T'Sega."

The ME approached the group and asked, "One of you Serviceman Traynor?"

"That would be me, Doctor," Traynor sniffled. "Can we see her now?"

The ME frowned as he looked at the four people in front of him. "I wasn't expecting a tour group today, but yes, you may see her, as long as you realize she is not dressed. We have her covered with a sheet, but her wound _will_ be visible…everyone okay with that?" After everyone nodded their consent, he turned as he said softly, "Follow me, then."

Xiùlán quickly moved to Samantha's side where she took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze; receiving a sad smile in return, she stayed by Sam's side as they entered the small storage area. The doctor stopped beside an examination table upon which a body was lying; the form under the sheet bore the unmistakable contours of an adult woman. Xiùlán heard Traynor attempt to swallow past the lump in her throat. "It'll be okay, Sà mǐ. Have courage."

The group of four split into two pairs of two; the asari on Heather's right side, Xiùlán and Sam on her left. The ME looked each of them in their eyes before grasping the top edge of the drape and folding it back over itself, stopping at just above her breasts. Traynor had her free hand across her mouth as she closed her eyes against the sight and squeezed Xiùlán's hand.

"You sewed up her wound, Doctor?" Xiùlán asked. "I expected there would be a 'Y' cut on her chest."

The ME grimaced at this for an instant before explaining, "In cases such as this, we can generally perform all the needed tests without violating the body any further. We use omni-tools with specialized software to take all the readings we need. We only make that 'Y' incision when there is no clear cause of death, such as poisoning, heart attacks and such." The doctor paused as he looked at Heather. "Oh, she was wearing a bracelet similar to each of yours when she was brought in. I removed it…saved it for her next of kin."

Mallene Calis spoke up. "Actually Sir, that's a very specialized omni-tool, manufactured by the company I represent. Would it be possible for me to regain possession of it?"

The ME frowned as he studied the asari. "Anything found with or on the deceased is generally returned to the family with the body." He shook his head as he continued, "You would need to make a request through Alliance Command."

Xiùlán held her own wrist up as she interrupted. "Serrice Council is the manufacturer of these tools, Doctor. It would be of great benefit to the company if they had the tool back for inspection; it's of no use to anyone else - it's biometrically keyed to the individual wearing it. Are you sure you cannot give the tool back to Ms Calis?

"I'd like to keep my job, Ma'am. I'd need someone way up the chain to authorize me to release a personal item to someone other than next of kin."

Xiùlán thought for a moment. "Can you hold the tool until I get back to you - might be a day?"

The ME thought for a few moments. "We won't be shipping her back home for a couple more days. You have some time yet."

"Thanks, Doctor. I'll get back to you soon." She said goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna, then whispered in Sam's ear as she drew her back to the waiting area.

Xiùlán grabbed both of Traynor's hands and brought them up between them. "Sà mǐ, love. I'm going back to our quarters. I need to make a call, get some help retrieving Heather's omni-tool before the opportunity is gone."

Samantha looked as if she were ready to start weeping. Xiùlán sighed as she leaned in and gently placed her lips on Sam's. Sam hungrily grabbed Xiùlán's lips with her own for just a moment before pulling back. "Dammit, Linn…this is _killing_ me. I've _never_ felt so much distress, even when those bitches attacked me in college. Seeing Heather laid out on that table?…that cut on her throat? I keep thinking about her last seconds alive, trying to breathe…trying to live. Shit! We _need_ that omni-tool in Mallene's hands, Xiùlán. I don't think she'd deny us a look at the recorded footage. Who are you planning to contact?

"I'll tell you when we succeed, my love. I want to be sure we have the support I'm looking for before I jinx myself talking about it." Xiùlán kissed her again. "I'll see you in a bit. Let's have dinner out. I don't feel like fixing, and I'm sure you don't."

"Okay, Luv." She took a long, shuddering breath. "But I think I'd rather order in if you don't mind…don't feel much like going out. I'll be along shortly…just need to say goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna."

* * *

_A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write. I didn't want to do it, but could see no way for Heather Gonzales to survive her encounter with a pair of Cerberus agents. I thought about having her wounded and surviving, but a knife pressed hard enough against the skin of one's throat to draw blood is only a careless stroke away from taking a life. Cerberus has proved since the early days of their existence that collateral damage does not concern them; Heather Gonzales death was simply collateral damage._

_Thanks to _Desert Sunrise_ for keeping me on course. I wanted to take the easy road. _DS_ steered me down the dark path._


	11. First Mission

_Something very strange is going on in the depths of space. – _Carl Sagan, _Cosmos_

* * *

**NOTES**: GPR – Ground Penetrating Radar;

**A/N**: The _SSV HONG KONG_ in this chapter is the original ship of that name, which was destroyed in the _Battle of the Citadel_ in 2183. The wreckage was later salvaged, melted down and used to construct a second frigate of the same name (the _Hong Kong II _), part of the Alliance's Fifth Fleet in 2186.

* * *

* ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • WEDNESDAY EVENING, 2180/01/12 *

The main entry door unlatched, allowing the multiple segments to slide silently into their slots; Xiùlán's head came up as she listened. The sounds of footsteps, soft, slow, came to her ears, followed by the metallic sounds of the door segments exiting their recesses and once again meeting in the middle of the opening, the sound of the electronic latch locking being the loudest portion of the entire operation. A heavy sigh ensued, followed by the resumption of the nearly silent footfalls coming towards her desk. "You okay, my love?" Xiùlán rose from her chair and looked intently at Traynor; it nearly broke her heart to see the dullness of grief in her normally sparkling eyes.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this, Xiùlán," came the quiet response. "Seeing…Heather…' Sam was having difficulty keeping herself from breaking down again. _'What must Linn think of me? How can she love someone so bloody weak?'_ "…like that?…I kept thinking…of how that could have just as easily…" she held a hand over her mouth and nose, attempting to maintain her self-control. "Xiùlán, what if…what if that had been…you…under that drape? I keep thinking…"

Xiùlán quickly grabbed Sam by her shoulders and gently shook her, an action for which she was instantly sorry; shaking Samantha was the wrong thing to do. Sam tried to turn away from her lover as the tears overflowed and began running in rivulets down her cheeks. Xiùlán whispered, "By my ancestors, Sà mǐ! You're letting your feelings drive your imagination," as she pulled the distraught woman to her, wrapping her in her arms diagonally, one over a shoulder, the other around her waist. "I'm sorry, Sammy…I'm sorry…," she whispered in her ear. "Ssshhhh…it'll be okay. Please, calm down, Sà mǐ. Sssshhhhh."

Traynor melted into the warm embrace of her lover as she cried her heart out yet again. It had been a tough day, and being told by the program administrators they wouldn't allow her to leave to attend Heather's funeral back on Earth – _'…you're not family, Serviceman. You may leave if you want to be dropped from the program…means a black mark in your jacket, __and__ you'd have to start over, __if__ there are any openings the following year'_. She whispered, "It's not right, Xiùlán! It's just not right, nor is it fair!"

Yuán pushed Traynor back a bit so she could look in her eyes. "Sà mǐ?" Xiùlán used a hand under Samantha's chin to tip her head up gently. "Sà mǐ, look at me. There is nothing fair about life, or death, but it's going to be all right. You'll get through this. I'm here for you, okay? And I'm not going to end up cold on some exam table, understand?" Kissing her gently on the forehead, she rubbed Sam's back and added, "Come on…let's order some food. Have a bite to eat, you'll feel better."

"Not hungry. Just want to crawl in my bed, go to sleep, wake up before all this happened."

"Do you want me to order for you? Remember the last time I ordered your supper?"

One corner of Samantha's mouth actually turned up in a slight smile. "Puked my guts out."

"Right. So, tell me what you want to eat, and I'll get it coming for you." Xiùlán was still holding Sam against her, and the pressure and warmth from her body was causing a spike in the heat within her own core. As much as she enjoyed the feeling and wanted to exploit it, she realized it would be completely inappropriate for her to take advantage of Sam's vulnerability in that way, so gave her an extra little squeeze and added a gentle kiss before reluctantly pushing herself away.

"I need to finish what I was doing, Love. I managed to contact General Park in Vancouver. She promised to get in touch with the ME regarding Heather's omnitool. Hopefully we can take a look at the recordings tomorrow. I already informed Mallene to be expecting a call."

Sam took a deep, cleansing breath to calm herself; in a sad voice she said, "I'm going to get cleaned up. Whatever you order, make it light, okay?" Traynor walked back into their sleeping area to use the bathroom as Xiùlán placed a food order on her terminal; she had decided to pay for the delivery service herself, rather than ask Sam to chip in. She just hoped General Park would be able to cut through the red tape in time.

* * *

Several hours had passed since dinner – Xiùlán was lying on her back in their bed; Sam had finally gone to sleep, lying close beside her with an arm draped across Xiùlán's midriff, face nuzzled into her lover's neck, her breath warm across Xiùlán's throat. She could feel Sam's pulse, almost in time with her own.

This group, Cerberus. They were supposedly a 'black ops' arm of the Alliance, but operated as if they had no affiliation to any but the so-called 'Illusive Man'. Xiùlán felt a profound anger beginning to well up from deep within her. She decided that doing research on their background wouldn't provide the answers she needed, particular the answer as to why murdering an innocent woman in an obviously futile attempt to escape capture was considered acceptable. She needed to figure out a way to talk to either Marianna Walsh or Darius Holden, even if she expected neither would be very forth-coming.

Disturbing Sam just enough so she could roll onto her side and face her, she hugged and kissed her, settled herself comfortably next to her lover and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The trill of the door lock at 0605 wormed its way into Xiùlán's dream, sounding like a warning of something destructive about to engulf her. The trill occurred again, this time awakening her from her dream. She gently disentangled herself from Sammy's arms and legs and rose from their bed, put on her short silk robe and walked to the door as the lock trilled yet again. The camera feed revealed her early morning caller was Mallene Calis; she was wearing a long, blood-red cloak with a deep hood pulled well over her head, as if she was attempting to remain unnoticed. Yuán released the lock, allowing the door to open and Mallene to enter.

"I wasn't sure the door chime would wake you," she said as she pulled her hood back. "I really need to speak with you…Traynor as well. It's important."

"Of course, Ms Calis. I'll wake her. Would you like some tea?" Xiùlán walked back to the kitchen to set a pot of water on the stove as she spoke. "Aglyna T'Sega gave me some of hers to try – I still have enough to make some for the three of us."

"That would be very nice, Ms Yuán."

Xiùlán smiled at the asari as she came back into the living area and said, "Please, have a seat. I'll get Traynor up so we can…"

"…so we can what?" Sam yawned from the bedroom door, attempting to cover her mouth with one hand and clutching her robe together with the other.

* * *

Traynor sleepily sipped her tea as Mallene spoke softly. "Your General Park is a real miracle worker, Ms Yuán. The base ME contacted me about an hour ago – gave Heather's omni-tool to me before they sealed her stasis pod for transport back to Earth."

Traynor perked up a bit and asked, "When are they planning on leaving?"

"Later this morning, I believe. They're going to use a freight shuttle for the trip."

Yuán wanted to know, "Have you reviewed the recorded info?"

"I have," Mallene replied as she set the tool in the middle of the table and activated its playback function. "The video portion is hard to watch. I'm actually glad there's only an audio record of Heather's death…I don't think I could bear to witness that," she finished sadly.

The three of the them watched quietly as the vid portion played; Sam grimaced and covered her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle a gasp of her own at the sound of Heather's last breath exiting her lungs through the gaping wound in her throat as her body collapsed to the floor, just before Corporal Phillips and Gunnery Sergeant McBride entered the restroom and took Marianna Walsh into custody. The audio continued even after Heather's body was transferred to a gurney; before she was taken from the restroom, they were able to hear the sounds of a laser-cutter slowly severing the ceramic blade from Heather's omni-tool. This was accompanied by the sounds of glass shards falling to the sinks and floor, along with the pitiful cries of pain and screams of agony from Darrius each time he was jostled, until the recovery crew was successful in freeing him from the wall to which Heather had pinned him. The sounds faded from that point, as the gurney was taken to a holding area for transport back to the main facility.

Mallene commented as she shut the playback off, "Her omni-tool continued recording until the ME removed it from her wrist." The asari's forehead wrinkled a bit in sympathy as she remarked, "I certainly would have expected those people to have administered medigel before they began cutting through that blade."

Traynor frowned as she replied, "Forgive my lack of empathy for that man's suffering, but I'd say he got no less than he deserved, and he certainly didn't pay as much for the encounter as Heather."

Xiùlán huffed as she stood, finished her tea and said, "Thank you so much for coming to see us with this, Ms Calis. And I agree with Traynor. Neither of them have a very long future ahead of them…the leader of Cerberus rewards people for their failures; I guarantee it will not be pretty when it happens, and that they're in Alliance custody will not deter him."

* * *

In the days following Heather's murder at the hands of Cerberus agents, Xiùlán and Samantha had continued training for covert assignments of their own. Xiùlán was mastering the art of infiltration into secure locations; she was already considered a master of hand-to-hand combat, so much so that the only person on the entire base willing to meet her on the mat for a sparring session was her lover, and then only under protest.

Both women had spent several weeks learning the basics of infiltration, reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage from a master spy – a salarian whose résumé included time spent with the Salarian Special Tasks Group. The STG was not widely known, which was the whole point of their existence. Salarians were not warriors like the turians and had no biotics abilities (with rare exceptions) as did the asari; they weren't aggressive by nature, but they were extremely intelligent and used that to their advantage in covert operations.

Traynor had done her own research on Cerberus, both its history and current objectives. Despite their origins with the Alliance, they were currently considered to be a terrorist organization and known to do business with the Blue Suns and Eclipse when their interactions were totally advantageous for Cerberus. Their 'humans first' rhetoric made both merc groups leery of dealing with them, particularly the asari-run Eclipse gang. The Blue Suns were nearly as problematic – the group's proclivity for employing turians, and worse yet, batarians, crossed the line in so many ways for Cerberus; unfortunately for them, humans were not highly regarded by the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants, so getting certain things done meant dealing with the mercs on a regular basis.

Neither of them had found the time to 'visit' the Cerberus sleeper agents responsible for the death of Heather Gonzales; Sam wasn't even sure _she _should go. She felt a deep-seated loathing for the pair of them, Marianna Walsh in particular. Traynor knew meeting Walsh would not turn out well for either of them; Walsh would be dead, and Traynor would be in shackles inside a holding cell.

Xiùlán had brought up the subject at dinner one evening. "Sammy, we may never get a chance to speak with either of the operatives responsible for Heather's murder." She used her chop sticks to grab a piece of meat and take a bite. "I really think we're going to have to let this go until we're out of the program."

Traynor's cold, calculating expression didn't do Xiùlán's mood any good. "I can wait, Xiùlán. I have a long memory and a lot of patience. If their boss doesn't reward that fuckin' bastard and miserable little bitch for their failure to escape, I'll certainly give 'em exactly what's coming to 'em; when it happens, they'll know two things right away…that is was _me_ that set 'em up, _and_ that they won't have a chance to tell anyone how they managed to die at the hands of a computer nerd."

"What are you going to do, Samantha? How do you propose to get close enough?"

Traynor's expression was a bit frightening – it was a side of Samantha Xiùlán had never seen. "Don't have to be close, Luv. Their equipment will do the work for me. Only regret? I won't get to watch it happen firsthand." She paused and drank a bit of water before continuing, "I'm working on that part also. I really _do_ want to watch it happen, and getting revenge is just part of the plan. That asshole that runs Cerberus? He'll get to see it as well."

A germ of an idea _had_ begun forming in the back of her mind – a way to extract revenge on Walsh that the woman would never see coming, would never connect with anyone in the Alliance. She continued to think about it…how to pull it off…whenever she had a few moments of free time.

* * *

As they completed their classes under the watchful eyes of their ex-STG instructor, they were informed they would be participating in a 'pre-grad' mission, expected to last fourteen days, in the Hades Gamma Cluster. Their assignment would be relatively straight-forward – survive the mission undetected as they explored locations on two of the planets in the Dis system.

The Alliance was covertly assisting the salarians in looking for any data it could find on the so-called 'Leviathan of Dis', found in the bottom of a crater on the planet Jartar by a batarian survey team in 2159 or 2160. Estimated at the time of its discovery to be nearly a billion years old, it was rumored to have been the corpse of a genetically engineered living starship. In 2163 it mysteriously _disappeared _after a batarian dreadnought visited the system.

Their other assignment was in the same cluster - they would pay a short visit to the planet Klensal in order to verify or disprove the rumored discovery of a _League of One_ operative near a crashed escape pod. If a salarian member of the League had crashed on Klensal, he would not have survived for long without a shelter and life support – the thin carbon dioxide and ethane atmosphere would have led to death by suffocation once emergency oxygen supplies had been consumed.

Of interest to Traynor, there was more than just a little danger in visiting either planet – there were reports that small teams from Cerberus were involved in research in the system, particularly on Jartar, and were definitely not welcoming of outsiders.

Mission planning, with the exception of transportation, was being left to the students. Group leaders would inspect their plans, but would not intervene unless something really egregious stood out.

Xiùlán and Samantha decided to visit Jartar first, making planetfall in an M35 Mako piloted by a skilled Marine; the Mako would be their shelter from the lack of atmosphere and extremely high surface temperatures between exploratory excursions on foot. They planned to scout the area outside of where the massive starship (if indeed that was what it was) had lain on the surface; Xiùlán's belief was that there was never a 'clean' ground mission – there was _always_ trash and debris left behind, and it was generally species specific. She also secretly hoped they would discover Cerberus operatives while on the ground there, as long as they could be observed undetected. Being discovered by Cerberus or anyone else would count as a mission failure.

She and Traynor added heat-resistant EVA suits to their inventory – the tiny planet's extremely fast rotation of just under five hours meant they would need to set down at planetary dawn. Xiùlán didn't think they would be able to stay outside the Mako for more than thirty minutes of the two and a half hour day; they would be highly dependent on surface scans along the edge of the crater, while the Mako's ground-penetrating radar would be used to search for subsurface anomalies. The pair wanted to wait until they were planet-side before deciding to explore the bottom of the crater – a lot depended on the roughness of the terrain and steepness of the crater walls.

Their preparations and plans had been approved – they were scheduled to leave in two days.

* * *

* HADES GAMMA / DIS SYSTEM / JARTAR • THURSDAY MORNING, 2180/02/24 *

The frigate _SSV Hong Kong_, on loan from the Alliance Fifth Fleet at Arcturus, had established a low orbit around the planet after swooping close by Jartar's surface and dropping the Mako bearing Yuán Xiùlán and Samantha Traynor; their driver was a young Sergeant named Tobias 'Toby' Perkins, who skillfully landed the M35 and immediately increased the mass of the vehicle to make it 'stick' to the surface of the extremely low gravity planet. "Hope you ladies brought your heavy boots with you – gravity is almost non-existent!"

Traynor snarked, "Suppose we could simply jump straight up to rejoin the _Hong Kong_?"

Perkins laughed and replied, "Not quite, but when _you_ go outside, you will certainly need to watch your step."

Xiùlán was using the Mako's GPR as the sergeant rolled the Mako forward at a walking pace. Traynor had been using the zoomed gunsight of the 155·mm cannon to inspect the area ahead of their intended path for anything on the surface that looked out of place.

After half an hour, the _Hong Kong_ called down for a status report; Sergeant Perkins replied that all was proceeding normally. As he terminated the connection he noticed Traynor looking at him. "Question, Traynor?"

"Would you mind looking at your view screen, Sergeant?" she asked, referring to the 'repeater' of the cannon's gunsight. "I think I have something."

Perkins complied with her request, fine-tuning the focus and pulling the zoom control slightly. "Looks like you _did_ find something, Traynor." He altered their direction towards the object and increased their speed slightly, moving them closer to the edge of the crater. After half a minute, he stopped a couple of meters from what was apparently an empty food packet, lying in the dust 13 - 14 meters from the crater's edge. It was the sort of thing normally stashed aboard whatever vehicle in which you were riding.

After sending a short status report to the Hong Kong, Tobias put his helmet on, sealed it and looked back at Traynor and Yuán. "Seal your suits, ladies. Need to depressurize so one of you can retrieve the trash."

Yuán and Traynor pulled their helmets on, checked the seals on each other's suits and nodded to Perkins, who ran gloved fingers over the environmental controls; after the air had been pulled from their cabin and stored, Tobias opened the starboard hatch, allowing Yuán and Traynor to drop onto the crusty surface.

The coolers in their EVA suits immediately started whining in protest as they attempted to prevent the internal temps from climbing past 25°. Traynor carefully walked around the nose of the M35 and stepped up to the debris, being vigilant in the near micro-gravity to maintain her footing. Crouching in front of it, she looked it over carefully before picking it up. It appeared to be a container for a standard field ration issued to Alliance Marines, but she wanted to examine it closer inside the Mako.

Xiùlán walked up beside her as Sam stood with the container in her hands. "_Let's take a closer look at that before we re-enter the Mako._" She entered several commands on the suit interface connected to her omni-tool and passed her wrist over the apparently empty container; upon inspecting the scan results, she immediately grabbed it from Sam's hand and threw it away from the crater as hard as she could. Jartar's micro-gravity and lack of air allowed the container to fly over 50 meters from the pair before it silently exploded with a bright flash and puff of greyish-white smoke.

_"__Damned thing was rigged," _Xiùlán fumed. "_Scanning it activated a countdown timer – liner must have been packed with the explosive._"

Sergeant Perkins voice came over the comm. _"You two okay out there? Looked like a pretty powerful explosion for its size."_

Traynor answered, _"We're fine, Sergeant – thanks."_ She switched to their private suit-to-suit frequency and said, _"Thanks, Xiùlán. Glad you looked at it out here. Were you able to tell before you threw it away…was it batarian, or Cerberus?"_

_"__Looks like it was a gift from Cerberus,"_ Xiùlán replied, her voice still tight. She crouched down and carefully studied the surface ahead and to the side of the Mako before finally settling on one direction, away from the crater's edge at an angle. _"Tire tracks…really faint, but definitely there – looks like from a Grizzly. Tracks are most likely from their drop point."_

"_Do we need to go over there, or should we continue on?"_ Traynor was already looking ahead.

"_Let's continue on,_" Xiùlán said quietly. "_I have a hunch we'll be following Grizzly tracks._"

Switching her suit comm back to the squad channel, she said, "_Sergeant? We're coming back in – time to get out of the sun for a bit._"

* * *

They had continued moving alongside the crater's edge for an additional two hours without seeing any other objects left behind by previous explorers, even though they were still following tracks apparently created by a Grizzly. They had discovered as they moved that Jartar was continuously being wracked by micro-quakes, no doubt caused by the planet's proximity to both Dis and Nearrum. Their short 'day' was nearly over, causing Traynor to voice some concern about night exploration until they noticed the planet Nearrum rising above the eastern horizon. It would provide enough reflected sunlight to enable the team to continue moving safely during Jartar's short 'night'.

They were about 30 minutes into the night cycle of the planet when Traynor called a halt. "There's something in front of us, hanging off the edge of the crater. Looks like a vehicle."

Sergeant Perkins agreed with Sam's assessment, saying, "Possibly our Grizzly."

As they got closer, it became apparent that the tracks they'd been following ended here, with a model VT7 partially over the crater's edge, left side forward wheel hanging off in 'space', right rear wheel nearly off the ground. The vehicle's weight, even with Jartar's micro-gravity, had caused it to 'high-center' as the opposite corners lost contact with the ground.

Tobias wondered aloud, "Think someone forced the driver of that thing towards the edge?" He pulled the M35 alongside the bigger vehicle and activated the side cameras and lights. "See that? Right side wheels are buried to the axles in this soft soil – pile in front and back of each tire makes me think they tried to drive their way out." The sergeant panned the view from back to front. "Couldn't use the ventral thrusters for fear of sending the whole thing over the edge. Safer to simply abandon it."

"Any way to see if they were forced to the edge by someone – or something?" Traynor was studying her view of the vehicle. "I think we need to go out and take a closer look."

"It's up to you, Serviceman," Tobias replied. "I'm just your driver." He pulled his helmet on, sealed it to his suit and backed the M35 a few meters away from the Grizzly in order to allow Traynor and Yuán more room to move around outside; they left from the port side hatch as soon as the cabin was depressurized.

Walking up to the right side of the stuck vehicle, they could just make out traces left by small arms fire near the driver's side window. "_Not really proof it was attacked, Xiùlán,_" Sam observed. "_Most of these old bears have seen action of some sort, either military or mercenary. Can't do too much damage with small arms. Can you find the serial number? Should be laser engraved on the sides immediately behind the leading edges of the operator cab._"

Xiùlán shined her light obliquely across the area where she expected to find the numbers; the high-intensity light caused the engraved numbers to stand out by throwing shadows. "_Looks like _67-VT00402a_._"

Traynor entered the number into her omni-tool and had the microframe in the Mako send the query to the _Hong Kong_ orbiting above them; she had her answer within minutes. "_Originally purchased by a mining company – Merida Industries, mid-2168. Company went bust in late '71 after rampant speculation tanked the price of beryllium; Grizzly was auctioned in early '72. Buyer was a mega-conglomerate – Cord-Hislop Aerospace._" Traynor paused to read the data scrolling on her screen. "_Shell company…CEO is one _'_J.H·Arper'__._" Traynor closed her omni-tool.

"_That was eight years ago, Sammy. How did it wind up here, and why? _"

"_I believe this Grizz' belongs to Cerberus, Xiùlán. __J.H·Arper__?_" Traynor thought for a moment before continuing, "_The 'H' and 'A' together? Harper? It's Jack Harper, aka The Illusive Man. Makes sense, I suppose. C-H Aerospace is a starship manufacturer. Funny thing is, a lot of the ships C-H manufactures as civilian transports are thinly disguised warships, fully weaponized and shielded._"

While Traynor had been talking, Xiùlán had been looking around the nose of the VT7, searching for footprints or vehicle tracks going away from the heavy transport, as well as gazing into the crater the Grizzly had almost tumbled into.

Without warning she dropped to a crouch as she said, "_Traynor, stay down. Sergeant, douse your lights!_"

The front and side lights on the Mako went out immediately, plunging the pair into the eerie twilight provided by the sunlight reflected from Nearrum. "_Look in the crater, Sam, about eleven o'clock from your position, two klicks out._" Xiùlán said.

Traynor looked over the edge in the direction indicated; there appeared to be movement. Several people using portable high-intensity lights, two vehicles sitting parked, one behind the other. Sam moved back to the Mako; reaching into the cramped storage area, she retrieved her sniper rifle, a fully modded Kassa Fabrication _Harpoon_. Carefully moving back to the VT7, she dropped to her belly and crawled to the edge of the crater. Bringing up the long gun, she aimed it at the vehicles and sighted through the scope at the people in the crater.

"_What do you see_?" Xiùlán had crawled up beside Sam.

"_Pair of Grizzlies, five…no, seven…people. They seem to be looking for something…can't tell what from here._" Sam continued to inspect the people through her scope. "_Their suits all look alike…can't see any markings, so not Alliance._" She caught a glimpse of one person's face through the faceplate. "_One of 'em is human, anyway. They're all about the same height, so probably the rest are as well. Looks like…_" She paused for several seconds before finishing, "_Judging from their chest plates, one or two of 'em are women. Doesn't appear they've seen us._"

Xiùlán entered a query into her omni-tool and sent it to the microframe in the Mako, requesting the Hong Kong initiate a search for other ships in the system, as Sam examined the vehicles minutely through the rifle's scope.

She pulled the gun back and rolled sideways so she could face Xiùlán. "_Both vehicles look exactly like this one, Xiùlán. What do we do? Mission parameters are to remain undetected. It'll be sunrise in just over an hour._"

Xiùlán's omni-tool flashed as she started to reply. "_Heard back from the _Hong Kong_…they found a large vessel orbiting Klensal. Captain's going to break orbit, move the our ship to Nearrum. He'll come get us if we holler, but thinks we should just sit tight and observe for now._"

Xiùlán sighed as she thought about their next move. "_Looks like we'll be here a bit longer. Let's get back in the Mako – we need to have Sergeant Perkins reposition it so the turret is aimed at our visitors down below while keeping its bulk hidden behind the Grizzly. We can keep an eye on them through the gunsight, and the _Hong Kong_ will alert us when their ship is inbound to pick 'em up._"

Traynor got to her knees and took another look in the crater. "_Okay. I'm starting to feel a bit hungry. Guess we can have a bite to eat while we see what they do when the sun comes up._"

* * *

After two and a half hours of quiet observation, night was fast approaching; the reflected light from Nearrum would be slightly lessened by distance, as Jartar was rapidly drawing away on its journey around Dis.

The two Grizzlies had moved towards the far side of the massive crater and were nearly out of sight over the planet's curvature. Xiùlán and Samantha felt they should drop down into the crater and follow along, just to see what the suspected Cerberus crew was doing.

The _Hong Kong_ had been covertly scanning for comm traffic from the unknown vessel orbiting Klensal; there had been some chatter concerning the ground crew on Jartar, but nothing that identified the vessel's owners. The _Hong Kong's_ communications officer _had_ confirmed the mystery ship's transponder appeared to be turned off; while not illegal to run without it, it _did_ add to Sam and Xiùlán's suspicions that it was a Cerberus-owned vessel.

A transponder broadcast the identity of a vessel, including its owner. It made sense to Traynor that a Cerberus-owned vessel would wish to keep their presence in the system a secret; even though they were technically in Earth Alliance Space, Hades Gamma was near the far end of the human's designated area, and considered by the batarians as belonging to the Hegemony. The Dis system consisted of non-habitable planets with a fair amount of mineral resources, in every way unremarkable even to humans. All of this ran through Sam's mind as she watched the shadows of nightfall crawl across the crater floor and the pair of vehicles disappear into the gloom at the far end. She looked at Xiùlán and asked, "Time to go?"

Yuán looked to Perkins and said, "Let's see what's down there, Sergeant."

"You got it, Ma'am. You may want to strap in, just in case." He initialized the drive motors as Traynor centered the turret before strapping into her seat. Tobias turned and drove away from the crater's edge 250 meters before turning back and accelerating to full speed. He decreased the Mako's mass as they flew off the edge of the crater and started descending, Perkins making minute mass adjustments in order to keep the Mako slightly tail-down as they slowly fell towards the crater floor.

They floated to a gentle touch-down, their pilot expertly playing the mass and drive controls to ensure they didn't bounce when they touched down rear wheels first. With the Mako still traveling forward at top speed, it was only a few minutes until they reached the spot where they had first spotted the unknown vehicles from their vantage point at the crater's edge.

As Perkins brought the Mako to a stop, Traynor rose from her seat and sighted through the cannon's rangefinder. Panning left and right, she could see no sign of the two vehicles; spinning the turret around, she looked at their former position. The VT7 stuck on the crater's edge was barely visible, its bulk mostly camouflaged by the ruggedness and ruddy hues of the terrain around it, even with the view at maximum magnification. _Explains why they never saw us._

"Any more information from the _Hong Kong_, Sergeant," Traynor asked.

"_Hong Kong_ is running silent, Serviceman. Captain will inform us if the strangers' ship starts moving this way from Klensal."

Looking at Xiùlán, Sam remarked, "Good time to slip outside, take a quick look around. We're going to need a pickup soon."

Xiùlán thought for a few moments, then replied, "Sergeant, turn right and take us into that depressed area our unknown friends were investigating. Let's see if the GPR produces any results."

"Roger that," came the reply as he turned the Mako and eased it into the depression. The tire sound coming into the cabin changed as they rolled onto compacted soil. "Whatever was lying here was quite heavy, even on a micro-gravity planet," Tobias observed. He turned back to the left as he reached the center of the depression. Checking his instruments, he added, "Depression appears to be about 1800, 1900 meters in length. That's more than twice the length of an Everest class dreadnought." Shaking his head, he looked back at Xiùlán and Sam and asked, "What the hell kind of vessel was grounded here?"

Xiùlán raised her hand as she said "Stop!"

Perkins promptly brought them to a halt and waited for Yuán to explain. "I've got something! Actually several somethings." Looking at Traynor, she asked, "Any sign of those two Grizzlies?"

"Nothing," came the reply.

"Sergeant, depressurize, please. Probably last chance we'll have to get outside. I think we need to call for a pickup when we're done here."

* * *

Xiùlán directed Tobias to reverse the Mako just enough so she could stand on the spot over which the front wheels had been parked. Using her omni-tool to confirm her findings with the Mako's GPR, she pointed at the ground and told Traynor, "_Right here, Sam._"

Sam used her personal mass modifier to increase her apparent weight before applying the short handled shovel to the spot; she quickly excavated a hole half a meter down and a meter in diameter. The clunk of the shovel spoke to their success – the both used their gloved hands to push enough soil away until they were able to uncover the metal parts.

Each of the several pieces of metal was black in color – the kind of black that absorbed all the light shining on it. They inspected them for radiation emissions before picking them up; the largest was about 65 – 70 centimeters by 35 – 40; the smallest of the three was less than half the size of the first piece, and their apparent weight on _this_ planet spoke to the density of the material from which they were formed. Traynor stowed them in the small cargo compartment, then entered the Mako behind Xiùlán.

Perkins started pressurizing the Mako as he spun it around 180° and began moving back towards the crater wall. He started speaking as soon as he had his helmet off. "_Hong Kong's_ on its way here to pick us up. We'll rendezvous at the far end of the crater. Captain said our unknown companion left Klensal ten minutes ago, heading this direction." The Mako was moving at its top speed, so bounced a bit as it came to the end of the depression, its tires spinning slightly in the looser material past the deformed area they had been traveling in.

Xiùlán had been watching their 'six' through the cannon gunsight as they drove along; repositioning the gun, she looked up at the crater rim until she could see the Grizzly stuck on the edge. She had to look at it twice, at two different magnification levels to confirm what her eyes didn't want to accept. "Sergeant Perkins? Sam? That ancestors be damned Grizzly is in a slow-motion free-fall off the crater's edge."

Perkins brought the Mako to a stop so he could look at the monitor. "She's right! Damn!" They had stopped far enough away that they weren't in any danger; what they hadn't counted on was another ground party, looking in their direction from the former parking place of the unfortunate VT7 now falling slowly down the crater side. "That's not good." Perkins opined.

Yuán aimed the 155 mm cannon at the people on the crater edge. At full magnification, she could just make out the logos on their chest armor – Cerberus. "Sergeant, tight-beam a message to the Hong Kong: Cerberus confirmed ground-side. Use caution."

Perkins was watching the monitor showing what Xiùlán was watching. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he saw two of the people setting up a rocket launcher. "Serviceman Yuán, charge that cannon and standby. Target is the launcher they're setting up. Wait for my order to fire."

"Will do." Cursing their miserable luck, Yuán engaged the cannon's mass generator and made sure it was loaded. "Standing by, Sergeant." The cannon added its own moaning sound to the interior of the cramped cabin, as if whining in anticipation.

Perkins watched the people above finish their preparation. As they stood and moved away, a bright light flared from the device, followed by a tight trail of flaming smoke aimed right for the nose of the Mako.

"Stupid bastards!" Perkins immediately turned to the right and accelerated away from where they'd been stopped; the smoke trail turned to follow. "Shit! Yuán, fire that cannon then recharge!" He turned the Mako's nose back to the rocket's path and reversed, driving backwards in an attempt to put a bit more distance between them and the rocket heading for them while he charged their kinetic barrier. When Xiùlán pulled the trigger, the cannon's recoil rocked the Mako slightly back as the Cerberus rocket launcher and the round it contained, along with the people around it, was obliterated in a fiery explosion from the heavy-metal 155 mm slug traveling at a small fraction of light speed.

Perkins watched the rocket still coming at the Mako's nose as the range-finder computed the rate of closure and began a beeping countdown; he calmly waited as the individual tones rapidly grew closer together.

The instant the tone became one solid sound, he accelerated momentarily before dropping their mass and using the propulsion-jets to jump the vehicle straight up three-and-a-half meters. The Mako's momentum carried them up, over and away from the rocket, which exploded some ten meters behind them as Perkins increased the mass and set the M35 back on the ground and stopped. "How we looking, Yuán?"

"All targets eliminated, Sergeant. Nothing moving up there."

"Okay, get ready for evac. The ship's almost here."

Xiùlán tracked the _Hong Kong_ inbound using the cannon's rangefinder; as it came to a hover five meters from the surface, Tobias brought the Mako around and jumped it onto the cargo bay ramp, which slowly began closing as the Mako rolled safely inside. The first part of their mission in the Hades Gamma Cluster was complete but, as far as Xiùlán was concerned, since they made enemy contact and had not completed the mission _undetected_ as required, it was an absolute failure.

* * *

_**A/N:** Sincere thanks to **Desert Sunrise** for assistance with the bits of military protocol of which I am ignorant. DS helps keep my writing on track._

_Reviews, favs and follows are appreciated! _


	12. Close Encounter With Batarians

_**NOTE:** S_tropharia: Batarian dung

* * *

_If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. – _J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)_

* * *

* HADES GAMMA / DIS SYSTEM • SATURDAY MORNING, 2180/02/26 *  
– SSV Hong Kong –

The Systems Alliance _SSV Hong Kong_ was a standard, frigate-class vessel with a small compliment of Naval personnel to fly and fight her and a squad consisting of two Marine fire teams led by a squad leader for ground missions. As the ship was so small, Sam and Xiùlán had bunked in the storage area behind the crew quarters on a pair of field cots.

To characterize Yuán Xiùlán as unhappy would have been understating her mood; the woman, despite a reputation for _not_ letting her emotions dictate her actions, was having a great deal of difficulty keeping those emotions in check. She was attempting to concentrate on her stance as she assumed the various positions of _Neigong_, a form of Tai Chi she utilized for her daily morning exercises. She was nearing the end of her routine with eyes closed as she crossed her arms in front of herself, then brought them up and stretched towards the overhead; after pausing momentarily, Xiùlán leaned forward, gracefully bending at the waist with her arms crossed to wrap her hands around her ankles, left for right, right for left. She again paused momentarily before returning to an upright posture while crossing her forearms in front of her, thumbs touching middle fingers, hands palm up at opposite elbows; taking a deep, cleansing breath, she exhaled slowly through her mouth.

The exercises had calmed her for the most part, but she continued to mentally chastise herself concerning yesterdays' operation.

She and Samantha Traynor had returned from their first ground mission…one that was _supposed_ to be simple reconnaissance with a 'no outside discovery' requirement. The recon portion had gone well – it was the 'no contact' portion that had been (from her perspective) an abysmal failure; their presence had been discovered and they'd been attacked by a suspected Cerberus squad as they were making their way back to their rendezvous coordinates. Their M35 driver, Marine Sergeant Tobias Perkins, had successfully dodged the one rocket fired at them by the unknown group of people. Xiùlán had fired the M35's mass accelerator cannon before a second rocket could be launched; the explosive heavy-metal round completely destroyed the rocket launcher and obliterated all the people around it.

She cursed their bad luck aloud in her native Chinese. "該死的混蛋!" [_Bloody bastard_(s)]

Traynor jerked her head around at her lover's exclamation. "There was no way to expect that second group of people, Luv," Traynor said quietly. "They must have been attempting to retrieve the Grizzly before it slid off the edge and fell into the crater. If it really _was_ Cerberus, it's unlikely they will report seeing an Alliance team down there"

"No excuse, Sammy!" Xiùlán shook her head and closed her eyes, reverting to Mandarin again as she quietly cursed. "We should have anticipated that second team…_I _should have planned on them having more people on the ground. I was _careless_."

Traynor was having none of it. "_We_ were careless, Luv, not you." Samantha caressed her lover's arms from behind. "We are in this together, remember? Besides, we _were_ able to retrieve a few pieces for the scientists to examine. The comm techs reported they heard no chatter concerning our presence on Jartar, and their ship totally failed to detect the _Hong Kong_." Sam pressed her body against Xiùlán's, enjoying the warmth as she planted little kisses on her neck. "It sounds as if our presence wasn't reported; no one else saw the Mako on the planet, and the elimination of the one patrol that _did_ see us will be attributed to batarian mercs protecting their turf."

"So, what should we do?" Xiùlán had calmed down as Sam continued caressing her arms and kissing her neck. "I'd like to poke around in that crater some more, see if there's anything else buried where that…ship?…whatever…was sitting before the batarians retrieved it." Xiùlán turned within Sam's arms and looked intently at her. "We have time, and the XO told me the mystery ship retrieved the two grizzlies we saw, along with their crews." She gave Sam a quick kiss of her own. "What about the one that fell from the crater's edge - they grab that one as well?"

"He didn't say," came Sam's reply. "What he _did_ say was those pieces we dug up are _quite_ interesting! The smallest one has a slight compound curve; what's surprising is the density of the material." Traynor brought up her omni-tool and entered a code; she read off a couple of numbers from the resulting display. "The smaller of the three pieces retrieved is about 19.5 by 33 centimeters, but it weighs 56 kilograms in normal gravity."

Xiùlán was incredulous. "How can that be? That's denser than any metal I know of." She paused as she pondered what she'd just heard, then continued. "Now I definitely want to poke around down there a bit more. We'll need to bring a few more tools for digging."

"Sounds good," Sam replied, thankful she had turned Xiùlán's anger at their discovery by a possible Cerberus team into a willingness to look around a bit more. "Let's get some breakfast, then see if the captain is willing to loan us the M35 and Sergeant Perkins for another mission groundside."

* * *

The _Hong Kong_ had dropped the Mako in the crater near the edge opposite of yesterdays' retrieval coordinates, but only after scanning the tiny planet several times at low altitude in stealth mode. The sensor recon team on board had detected nothing on the surface but a barren wasteland, devoid of life or anything organics may have manufactured. There was also a complete lack of any other ships in the system, which made everyone breathe a little easier. Sergeant Perkins was once again their driver, and he quickly had the M35 in the depression left behind by the so-called Leviathan.

They were starting at the end furthest from their initial entry point, exploring in the opposite direction from before. Tobias slowly maneuvered the Mako in a zigzag route designed to cover as much of the area as possible.

Xiùlán was once again using the GPR to 'look' beneath the surface; she watched the monitor as Traynor split her attention between the GPR monitor and the viewfinder for the 155 mm cannon; she continued to search the upper reaches of the crater walls, as well as watching the horizon of the crater itself, particularly ahead of and behind their travel direction. Tobias was listening to the ship's recon crew at regular intervals as they continued to search for any other traffic in the system.

Traynor spoke with Tobias occasionally in order to break the monotony of staring at display screens. She learned the command staff on the _Hong Kong_ were convinced the ship they'd discovered was a Cerberus light cruiser. It made sense to the captain, as it was suspected the Illusive Man was actively looking for _any_ technology that would allow humankind to dominate all the other races in the galaxy.

* * *

They had searched the depression and four meters out past both edges for several hours on each of the next three days; their efforts had been rewarded with the discovery of three more loose parts, all similar to those discovered on their first day, in that they were small, extremely dense (thus heavy), and in appearance were the deepest black any of them had ever seen. Xiùlán was about ready to call a halt to their efforts when Tobias abruptly stopped the M35.

"Retract the GPR sled, Ms Yuán, quickly! There's trouble inbound – XO says an unknown ship just dropped out of FTL at the edge of the system and it's headed our way!"

Traynor wanted to know, "Is the _Hong Kong_ coming in to pick us up?"

"Not yet. They're going to hideout near the sun, try to remain undetected until we can determine who it is and what they want."

Traynor replied, "Not very likely they're simply here to discharge heat – we're at the far end of the system from Antaeus and the mass relay there. Slavers? Pirates?"

"We'll know soon enough," replied the sergeant. Perkins had started a high-speed run for the side of the crater that would soon be shadowed by planetary sundown.

Traynor was searching everywhere around them with the cannon's rangefinder…after several 360° sweeps, she spotted something. "Sergeant, take a look!"

Perkins spared a glance at the repeater monitor in front of him as he jigged the tank to the right and applied a touch of ventral thrusters to smooth out a rather severe ravine in the crater floor. "Looks like a batarian ship…smaller than a frigate…probably a corvette. Rangefinder puts it 3.8 kilometers behind us, moving to the north."

Xiùlán asked, "What do we do, Sergeant? If they see us, they'll most likely want to start a fight. Not too many pirate gangs have their own Mako…it'd be worth the effort to steal it from us, particularly since we're not really set up to fight back."

Perkins explained they would hide for a bit; by now they had had nearly reached the crater wall, an area with an almost uncountable number of heavy boulders and debris collected by the planet's weak gravity from when the crater was originally created. The sergeant picked a heavily shadowed spot that allowed them a view of the entire length of the crater behind them; the broken landscape provided a bit of camouflage for the M35, its turret the only portion visible above the boulders surrounding them. Planetary sundown had arrived and Jartar had progressed far enough in its orbit that reflected light from the surface of Nearrum was not a factor; Jartar's surface was now truly dark during its 2.8 hour night.

"Set the rangefinder to its widest field of view, Ms Yuán," Tobias instructed. "The less we need to rotate the turret, the better. I'm passively scanning for other vehicles on the surface, but I cannot imagine them wasting the time and energy of dropping a ground crew here unless they detected us during that one flyby. There's nothing on this planet worth fighting for."

They settled in for the wait as they watched the countdown chrono tick away seconds until sunrise.

* * *

The mystery ship, though still in the system, had traveled to Gremar, the fourth planet of the system that orbited Dis, just outside of the sparse asteroid belt orbiting the sun.

The _Hong Kong_ had retrieved the ground team and the Mako without incident after delaying for several hours to be sure the other vessel had moved away.

The captain had the ship's machinist perform some simple tests on the smallest of the several artifacts retrieved by Yuán and Traynor; the results, while disappointing, were interesting all the same. The metal could not be cut, even with the hottest plasma cutter; applying heat had no effect.

On close examination, it was determined the material wasn't actually black…it simply did not reflect white light from any angle, although it would glow a faint purple when exposed to strong ultraviolet light.

The machinist working with the piece developed a severe headache within two hours of being exposed to it, confirming Xiùlán's suspicion the pieces were giving off some sort of anti-organic radiation, even though every test device on the ship showed negative results.

Xiùlán had looked at them, all sitting together in a cargo container on the hanger deck; she quickly realized the longer she stared at them inside the container, the more agitated she became. She had to really exert her will power to pull away from the container and have it sealed; afterwards, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Once the container was sealed, Yuán had Traynor modify a personal body shield so the generated field would conform exactly to the container's dimensions; they then positioned the container as close to the cargo ramp opening as possible. Traynor felt the location still wasn't far enough away from the crew quarters one level above, but hoped the active kinetic shielding would keep all of them safe from the artifacts' influence until they could offload the container upon their return home.

It was time for Sam and Xiùlán to take a look at Klensal.

* * *

* HADES GAMMA / DIS SYSTEM • THURSDAY MORNING, 2180/03/08 *

The third planet from its sun, Klensal was just over half the size of planet Earth. It possessed a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide and ethane and a mean surface temperature of -35 °C, _not_ a garden planet by any definition of the term.

Xiùlán and Samantha had made planetfall in the _Hong Kong's_ M35 Mako shortly after local sunrise, insuring they would have several hours of light at a relatively low-angle, which should facilitate locating some of the foreign objects the ship's sensors had detected from orbit. The M35's operator, Sergeant Tobias Perkins, had expressed satisfaction that this planet's gravity was only 14 per cent less than Earth's, observing '…it should make it less of a chore to keep the Mako 'glued' to the surface.'

The area in which they'd landed held a number of crashed probes, which Xiùlán hoped to inspect, possibly even retrieve. They intended to stay away from the numerous mining bases; though long abandoned, many were still being used as temporary meeting places for pirates and slavers; everyone agreed encountering anyone on this planet would probably _not_ be in their best interests.

They had traveled several dozen kilometers from their drop site; having seen no signs of anyone and having heard nothing from the _Hong Kong_ in orbit above them, they were totally surprised when they crested a hill and discovered an abandoned mining site that was anything but! Armed guards kept lookout from atop several watchtowers, and there were even heavy cannons in turrets strategically placed so all approach avenues were covered. Two such turrets immediately zeroed in on the Mako and fired, forcing Tobias to blindly reverse off the ridgetop to dodge the rocket fire.

Xiùlán was frantically calling for backup from the _Hong Kong_ when the M35 was heaved skyward by a powerful explosion; the heavy tank landed partially on its side and gun turret when it fell back to the surface. '_Must have tripped a mine_' was Xiùlán's fleeting thought as she lost consciousness.

* * *

* LOCATION UNKNOWN *

Darkness. Cold. Pain. Lying on her stomach, one cheek pressed against a gritty, damp metal floor, she tried to move and immediately regretted it. '_Something's not right…_' She couldn't feel her hands, but could sense her arms were somehow bound behind her. She struggled to open her eyes; it felt like her eyelashes were coated with something sticky…blood? After struggling for several seconds, she finally managed to pull one eyelid open. Wherever she was, there was virtually no light. '_Abandoned mine? How long?_' Her memory had gaps she struggled to fill in. '_Mako…on top of a ridge…cannon-fire!…backwards flight…explosion! Mako…tumbling! Shit! Traynor! Perkins! Where in blazes were they!?'_

"Xiùlán?" A whisper, somewhere close. She tried to raise her head, tried to turn to see. '_Maybe if I can get my legs up…_' She groaned in pain as she raised her face from the floor and used her lower back, hips and thighs to sluggishly drag her torso up and over her legs, ending with knees at her chest, lower legs against the floor. After resting a few seconds, she slowly straightened up and looked around. She was inside some sort of metal cage, a cube of maybe one and a half meters. There were several of these in a row – Traynor was in the one to her left.

"Sà mǐ! Nǐ shòushāngle?" [薩米！你受傷了？- _Sami! Are you hurt?_] "Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Even whispering, her words sounded as if she were shouting in the oppressive silence.

Traynor coughed between words, "Think I cracked a rib…hard to breathe…keep coughing up blood…arm hurts like…all bloody 'ell…same side. Must have…bounced off the inside of the Mako." She spit a mouthful of blood, then asked, "You?"

"Not sure…can't feel my hands. Need to get them free somehow – get the circulation back. Head hurts like I'm recovering from shore leave. Where in hell are we?"

"Underground…mine," Traynor snarked. "Not so abandoned…as we thought. Looks like slavers have us, Luv…batarians. Overheard the bastards…talking." She coughed again; Xiùlán heard her spit to clear her mouth. "They're planning…to move us off-world…soon as the _Hong Kong…"_ Sam was forced to pause as she was overcome by a fit of coughing. "…gives up searching…for us."

"Sergeant Perkins?"

"Knife to the throat…left 'im in the Mako to bleed out." She coughed and spat again. "He was banged up right bad…I guess women…even injured ones…bring more profit than men." Traynor was coughing more frequently, and her breathing sounded labored.

"Mā de, Sà mǐ!" [媽的,薩米！- _Oh Shit, Sami!_] "We're going to have to get ourselves out of this – can't count on help from the _Hong Kong_." She was trying to think of a plan, despite the pounding in her head. "I need my hands free. You still have your omni-tool?"

"Can't tell, Luv…can't move…cough…enough to…cough…feel my wrists. How 'bout you?"

"Same." Xiùlán allowed her torso to fold down at the hips so she could get her head down. There were voices outside the door, guttural sounding…typical batarian males. Sounded like an argument, but she couldn't make out what was being said. She had no doubt that whatever they were 'discussing' involved Traynor and herself. The fact they hadn't clamped a slave collar around her neck was some comfort…meant they weren't prepared for visitors.

"Sammy…I'm going to try to get my arms up in front of me." Xiùlán started by rolling onto her side, then onto her back as she raised her hips and legs from the floor. With her wrists bound together, the effort to slide her arms past her hips nearly brought her to tears; after a massive effort that left her partially winded, she had her wrists behind her thighs. She rested for several minutes, listening to the argument outside move away from the door. After catching her breath, she curled her back, brought her weight up towards her neck then quickly rocked forward; she was now sitting on her butt. Leaning forward enabled her to slip her arms past her feet. "Did it, Ài," [愛 - _Love_] she whispered.

Xiùlán looked closely at her wrists in the dim light. _'Yúchǔn de húndàn!_ [愚蠢的混蛋！- stupid bastards!]_ Used wire to tie me? At least they left my omni-tool,'_ Reaching down to her feet, she was overjoyed to discover the idiots had also overlooked the folding knife secreted inside her right boot; this she managed to tease out with the forefingers of each hand. Opening the blade was a simple matter of 'pulling' the finger stud towards the handle, thus swinging the spring loaded blade out and locking it in place.

Slicing through the wire with numb fingers took a few minutes, but once her wrists were free, she was able to massage the feeling back into her hands and fingers. Activating the omni-tool's light allowed her to see her lover, on her side facing away.

"Sà mǐ!" she hissed. "Can you move over next to me? I can get your hands free."

Traynor coughed. "I'll try" She struggled back to a sitting position, then scooted her butt backwards towards Xiùlán's voice. Bumping against the bars, she coughed and spat again. "Sure could use some water…medigel would be nice, too."

Xiùlán didn't respond as she used the knife to cut through the wires binding Sam's wrists. "These idiots weren't prepared for us to drop in on them – they must have been setting up a transfer station for people captured in raids elsewhere."

Sam slowly brought her arms around in front of herself. "Thanks! Feels good to be able to move my hands." She paused, then whispered, "Still got my omni-tool as well, Luv."

"Good! Now let's see about getting our asses outta this shithole, get you some help."

Sam gasped as she turned to look at her lover. "My god, Linn!…blood…all over…your face! And…your hair! It's…gone!"

Xiùlán reached for the back of her head. Her ebony mane, so long it brushed the top curve of her butt, wasn't there! She had worn it tied into a bun behind her head so she could wear a helmet; the bun was gone, chopped off raggedly at the back of her neck! "Gāisǐ de húndàn cǎn!" [該死的混蛋慘！- _Fucking miserable bastard!_] "Someone's going to pay for that!" Using her hand to carefully feel for the source of the blood, she discovered a gash over her left eye, above the hairline. The hair on top of her head was matted with dried blood; inspecting her fingers confirmed blood was still seeping from the wound. "Huh…never really felt that! Must be the source of my headache. Guess I'll need to see a medic as well."

Xiùlán activated the mini-cutter in her omni-tool and began slicing away the bars above and below the latch plate holding the lock assembly. Once the plate assembly was free, she pushed the cage door open, crawled out of the metal box and stood up, glad to finally be able to stand up straight.

Traynor had managed to get her door open as well; she took a bit more time to stand up, favoring her side as she did so. "Fuckin' ribs hurt…like all bloody 'ell, Linn! Don't know how…much help I can be. Can't even take a deep breath." She coughed, spat and exclaimed, "Shit!" She turned towards Xiùlán just as her lover gently wrapped her arms around her, kissed her softly on the mouth and whispered, "I love you Samantha."

Sam returned the kiss before pulling back slightly. "I love you…as well, Yuán Xiùlán. Now let's…get out of here."

Xiùlán released Sam and turned towards the door. It appeared to be a Systems Alliance standard inside hatch, segmented to retract into the surrounding bulkhead with a centrally located haptic lock interface, which was currently glowing a dim red.

Normally, Xiùlán would have allowed Traynor to hack the lock, but she didn't expect Sam to do anything she herself could do almost as well. Omni-tool up and activated, Xiùlán ran through the unlocking protocols built into the 'tool' – the haptic interface quickly changed to green. Xiùlán quickly reconfigured her omni-tool for combat; it would only take a thought and a flick of her wrist to have either of three ceramic blades at her disposal. Along with her boot knife, she was armed in as deadly a fashion as possible.

"Watch my six, Luv. I'll take care of anything in front of us."

"Be careful, Linn," Traynor coughed. "Fuckin' bastards…took our…shield generators; our ceramic…plates won't stop…" she gulped as she attempted to stifle yet another cough, "…a bullet fired up close."

Xiùlán simply nodded as she opened the hatch; the light in the passageway beyond was dim enough that her eyes adjusted quickly. Taking a hasty look in both directions, she decided uphill was the way they needed to proceed, as the hatch on the downhill end was locked. Hazarding another swift look revealed no cameras in the ceiling, so she entered the passage and quickly headed towards the uphill hatch, confident that Sammy was right on her heels.

She placed her left shoulder against the bulkhead and crouched to the side of the hatch, which was unlocked. Feeling Sam's hand on her waist, she listened for anyone on the other side of the hatch; everything was quiet, so she opened the hatch and inspected the area. There were containers and equipment scattered haphazardly around a large chamber; discerning no movement, she moved through the opening and ran to a large container about two to three meters away. Crouching behind it, she felt Sam bump into her back as she caught up.

Breathing hard, Sam tried to stifle her coughing as she struggled to catch her breath. "Can't keep…this up…for long…Luv."

"I know. You stay here, let me scout around – see if I can find us some water."

"A Med-kit…one…or two…heavy pistols…would be…nice," Sam gasped out in as snarky a tone as she could manage.

Looking back the way they had come, Xiùlán noticed the hatch had reclosed and locked behind them. She grabbed Sam's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before taking off, moving silently from container to container.

She had worked her way around to the far side of the chamber, where she encountered a pair of batarians moving small containers. Neither one survived their introduction to the unfriendly human – one was left pinned to a large container with a white-hot ceramic blade shoved through his throat and spine, the other was left lying on his stomach on the cavern floor, staring blindly up at the ceiling, Unfortunately for Xiùlán, neither was wearing a sidearm, but she _did_ find a container filled with water – this she took straight back across the chamber to Sammy, only taking a drink herself after Sam had drunk her fill.

"Thanks, Linn! That's a…real help."

"Come on…we can move straight across to the next exit. The only two batarians in here are not going to be interested in us…or anything else, ever."

Xiùlán helped Traynor to her feet, then walked with her as the pair moved across the underground chamber to where Xiùlán had ended the batarian's lives. "My god, Linn! I never…heard a thing!" She stared at the Chinese woman beside her, dried blood on her face, hair raggedly cut off at the back of her head, with a newfound respect along with a touch of awe. "I'm no…longer sure…you…even need me…along, Luv."

Yuán turned to look at her lover, surprise evident in her eyes as she whispered, breath brushing softly against Sam's temple and hair, "Why in hell would you even _think_ that, wǒ qīn'ài de sà mǐ?" [我親愛的薩米？-_ my dear Sammi?_] Traynor nearly burst into tears at the look of utter devotion that came across Xiùlán's countenance. "There will come a time when _you_ will be taking care of _me_, my love." Xiùlán brushed Sam's cheek with her lips as she continued in a husky whisper, "Wǒ _ài_ nǐ, [我愛你, - _I _love_ you_] Samantha Traynor! I have loved you ever since we met. No power in this galaxy will _ever_ change that, Míngbáile ma?" [明白了嗎？_\- Do you understand?_]

Samantha, her eyes full of unshed tears, simply nodded her head.

"Good! Now, we have to find our gear. You ready to go?" Traynor nodded again.

Xiùlán rose and pulled Sam up with her. She led the way around the last large container in their path and up to the hatch that appeared to be the exit. The haptic lock was glowing green, so Xiùlán waved her hand in front of it. To their horror, the chamber beyond had at least six batarians clustered together. One appeared to be arguing with two others about something, but they _all_ looked up at the sound of the door opening.

Xiùlán stood there, omni-blade alight, dried blood still on her face, and growled menacingly at the closest batarian, "Nǐmen sì gè yǎnjīng yīnjīng tóu! Nǐ huì xiān sǐ!" [你們四個眼睛陰莖頭！你會先死！–_You four eyes penis head! You'll die first!_]

They stood frozen in place as their translators glitched on a language rarely heard off planet Earth. Even having no idea what the human with the blood covered face had just said, the one that appeared to be in charge suddenly came to his senses and reached for his pistol – it was the last thing he ever did, as the handle of a knife appeared between his upper eyes, the blade buried in the frontal lobe of his brain. The rest hadn't moved a muscle, now transfixed at the sight of their leader collapsing to the ground like a sack of stropharia.

Xiùlán wasted no time in covering the distance between them. Ignoring the pistol in the hand of their dead leader, she stomped in the middle of his face as she yanked her knife out of his skull and flung it at the next closest target; this one had the misfortune of catching the blade in his throat as Xiùlán swung her omni-blade at pirate number three, slicing that unfortunate soul nearly in half at the waist. She felt an impact on her chest plate as she heard the report from the gun fired at her by pirate number four; she fell backwards as a minute sliver of metal screamed through the air above her at hypersonic speed, drilling him in the chest.

Traynor had trotted into the chamber and retrieved the gun the first pirate had attempted to use. She fired once again, drilling number five between his lower eyes. Before she could kill number six, he was on top of Xiùlán, attempting to stab her with his knife. She rolled away from him as he struck at her legs on the ground. As he stood back up, Xiùlán was up and on him like a wild panther. She reached his chest with her fist and drew her forearm across him right-to-left, dragging her omni-sword across his torso to slice him in half. He remained standing with a surprised look on his face as a bullet whizzed past Xiùlán's ear, hitting the sliced batarian in the head for a kill-shot.

She looked around to find Traynor in a combat crouch, pistol in both hands and seemingly aiming for her head. She rapidly ducked as Sam pulled the trigger, dropping the seventh pirate coming up behind her. She hurriedly looked around the chamber for more enemies; finding no one left standing, she retrieved her boot knife from the throat of her second victim, then moved among the rest, gathering weapons, Medigel and water rations.

The last one Traynor had shot was still alive, and it turned out he had something extra in his backpack – a rope of ebony strands, one end bearing a ragged cut. _This_ was the bastard that had cut off her hair. Xiùlán crouched beside him, made sure the dying batarian was aware of her…knew who she was before she started speaking.

"You goddamned four-eyed offspring of a vorcha fucked varren – yeah, I'm speaking Galactic so you can understand me," Xiùlán hissed through clenched teeth. "I bet you thought you'd found a real prize when you cut off my hair. But unlike you, I'm still alive, and my hair _will_ grow back. Too bad you won't be around to see it." She stood back up, contemplated him for several heartbeats before twitching her right hand, causing her omni-tool to render its third blade. She balled up her fist and with a guttural curse struck him in the middle of the chest, putting as much of her weight and muscle behind the blow as she could; this action 'fired' the white-hot ceramic blade over the top of her wrist and hand, through his body, his spine and into the ground beneath him. She neatly coiled the length of her cut hair around the portion of the blade sticking out of his chest as a warning to the next bastard that thought chopping off a woman's hair was a good idea.

Looking around again, she saw Traynor still kneeling where she'd stopped, trying to get her breathing under control. Xiùlán started walking towards her and quickly pulled to a halt – there was a pain in her left calf that hadn't been there before. She tried to look at her leg and couldn't see anything, but there was definitely something wrong, bad enough that she began limping as she walked up to Sam and asked, "You doing okay?"

"No worse…than before. Why the 'ell…are you limping?" Sam's voice carried concern.

"Don't know. Take a look?" Xiùlán turned around so Sam could inspect the back of her leg.

"Looks like…some blood here." Traynor gently touched her lover's calf, about twenty centimeters down from the knee – Yuán jumped as if she'd been shot.

"On your…knees, Luv…facing away." Traynor waited until Xiùlán had complied. She definitely had a bit of blood on her leg, and the leg of her under-armor was sliced vertically.

"What the…?" Sam spotted it – something shiny within the cut. "I need…you to lean…forward. Hands on…the ground." Xiùlán did as instructed. "Relax…your lower legs…put all your…weight on…your knees. This is gonna…hurt like bloody 'ell."

Traynor positioned two fingers of her left hand in a 'vee' on either side of the blood-stained metal. Xiùlán gasped as Sam pressed her fingers hard into the skin and spread them slightly apart, opening the wound; this had the effect of raising the steel sliver up so Sam could grasp it between thumb and forefinger of her right hand. Without warning her, Sam gripped the piece of steel tightly and yanked it straight up and out of Yuán's leg, causing her lover to holler and curse long and loud in Chinese.

Sam held up the piece of steel – the tip of a broken knife blade, about 3 to 4 centimeters long, undoubtedly from the fellow attempting to stab Xiùlán as she rolled around on the ground dodging him. The wound was bleeding freely now, so Sam placed the palm of her hand across the slice and pressed down, provoking more outcries of unhappiness from Xiùlán. "We need some…way to…clean and…bandage this!" Traynor observed, before going into a paroxysm of coughing, causing her to bend over from the effort to breathe. She straightened up, grabbed one of the Medigel containers Xiùlán had retrieved and applied a liberal amount to the slice in her leg.

Xiùlán turned, bringing up her right knee. She took a sip of water, then gave the container to Sam and said, "Stop talking – start drinking. I'm going to try to stand." So saying, Yuán slowly got to her feet, right leg first. She gingerly placed a bit of weight on her left leg. "Not too bad. I'll search the other end. Stay put." Grabbing one of the recovered pistols, she limped her way to a small anteroom beside the exit. After making sure she was alone, she looked high and low, finally finding a first aid kit and some more water. She returned to Traynor with her booty.

Sam was happy to have more water; she re-cleaned the wound in Xiùlán's leg, applied more Medigel, then covered and bound it to keep it clean. "How's that feel?"

"Better than I'd hoped after seeing that bit of knife you pulled out of there." She lifted her leg in order to flex her foot around, testing what she could do. "Damn good thing it went in vertically – slipped into the muscle in line with the muscle fibers. Pure dumb luck…"

Traynor wasn't done. "Let me…look at…that head wound." Xiùlán again went to her knees, this time facing Sam as Traynor, using Xiùlán's shoulders for handholds, laboriously stood back up. Sam grimaced at the matted hair as she placed a hand on Xiùlán's cheek. Shining a light on the cut in her scalp, she coughed, "Must have…happened in the…Mako." Sam cleaned around the wound with gauze from the kit, then covered the gash with Medigel. "Doc's gonna…need to fix this…as well, Luv." Traynor bent over beside Xiùlán, coughed and spit out more blood.

Xiùlán turned; saying, "Let me take a look at your ribcage, Sammy," she quickly unfastened the latches holding Sam's chest plate to the back plate on her left side. Sam groaned in pain as she slowly raised her arm so Xiùlán could pull her under-armor shirt and undershirt up from her waist. "Shit! Remember the bruise on _my_ chest from Joesiar's sniper shot on Luna base?" Xiùlán's tone suggested disbelief. "_This_ one puts mine to shame. Hang tough, let me just touch you…here?"

"Eeeyouch! That absolutely…hurts like…mmmmpppphhh!" Sam didn't finish, as the next spot Xiùlán touched caused her to sob from the intense pain.

"Looks like two fractured ribs, Sammy. Don't think either is completely broken. I'm going to apply some Medigel to the area – it'll help, but we need to get you to a doctor, sooner rather than later." Yuán applied a liberal coating of Medigel to the bruised area, then pulled Sam's undershirt and under-armor shirt back down and refastened all the hook' n' loop fasteners before standing, kissing Sammy apologetically and saying, "Sorry I hurt you."

After refastening the latches for her ceramic plates, she removed Sam's gauntlet and took a look at her arm. "Pretty bad bruise on your outer forearm, wrist to elbow. Mako must have bounced you around worse than it did me!" As she applied some Medigel she said, "We're still one level down from getting out…didn't find our helmets or other gear anywhere down here." Frowning, she pulled Traynor's sleeve down and replaced her gauntlet. "I seriously doubt the batarians we killed are the only ones in this facility."

Traynor was feeling some relief from her pain already. "Thanks, Luv. Feels better. Still hurts to…breathe, but not as much."

"Okay," Yuán said. "Heavy pistols are better in these close quarters. I _did_ find one shotgun, but it's an old BSA model 10 Executioner – inaccurate, doesn't deal a lot of damage unless you're really close, slow firing rate." Yuán's smile was grim. "Don't think you want to use a shotgun in your condition, anyway. Let's get to it."

Xiùlán led the way to the hatch. Hearing no sounds from the other side, they opened it and moved into the passage.

The tunnel between the chambers was a steep climb; Xiùlán knew Sam would go down if she attempted to climb the 25 meters to the upper hatch. She turned to her lover and said, "I'll need to carry you…you'll never make it otherwise."

Sam looked at the upper hatch as the effort to even take a shallow breath continued to increase. "Okay. How?"

Xiùlán knelt in front of Sam and placed her right shoulder in Sam's pelvis. "Lean over my back." As Traynor leaned over, Xiùlán wrapped her right arm around the back of Sam's legs right below her butt; straightening her own legs lifted Sam's feet clear of the corrugated tubing that made up the tunnel. "You okay?"

"Go!" Sam grunted.

Xiùlán's wounded calf was screaming in pain as she reached the upper end of the tunnel; she gently set Traynor down on her feet. Traynor immediately bent over in an attempt to catch her breath without coughing up more blood.

Traynor wheezed, "I hope…we're nearly…out. About…at the…end of my…rope!"

Xiùlán nodded in agreement. They needed to return to the _Hong Kong_, soon. Listening carefully at the segmented hatch, she could hear nothing other than the shrill whine of environmental fans over the low moan of pumps keeping ground water from slowly flooding the lower levels. Looking back at Traynor, she nodded as she raised her pistol in her left hand and waved her right hand in front of the lock.

The hatch opened onto the main entry chamber from the surface; it was strewn with a haphazard assortment of shipping containers, the majority of which were grouped to the left of the hatch. Xiùlán felt a comforting hand at the small of her back.

Neither seeing nor hearing any obvious signs of anyone in the chamber, Xiùlán moved, going to her left in order to gain the cover of the containers. The hand on her back stayed with her, indicating Traynor was right on her heels.

Yuán turned to her lover and whispered, "You stay put, but be ready, same as last time. I'm going to look around, see what I can find."

"Comm sys…be nice. Let…_HK_ know…we're alive…need…help…can't breathe CO2…and ethane outside."

Xiùlán could see Samantha was noticeably pale. "You've lost a lot of blood, Love. Besides what you're coughing up, you're probably bleeding into your chest cavity – it's why you can't take a deep breath." Yuán looked around the chamber and pulled out her stolen pistol. "Don't move unless you have to. We're getting out of here alive, and we're going together." She placed her hand gently on Sam's face, said "Wǒ ài nǐ, Sà mǐ," and slipped away.

Traynor had her stolen gun out and ready as she tried to visually follow Yuán's progress around the edge of the chamber. Xiùlán had disappeared at the far end near the airlock inner hatch. She thought she heard something thump and thud against something solid, but after waiting for more, she decided her ears were playing tricks on her. She was feeling really light-headed as she leaned back against the container. _'Hurry, Luv! I am so tired, so bloody tired – just wanna rest…'_ Sam unknowingly slid down to a squatting position as her knees gave up the battle with gravity; she ended up with her back still against the container, arms relaxed, pistol forgotten in her right hand. _ 'Just need…to…sleep.'_

A few minutes later Xiùlán came back around the container to find Sam collapsed, her back against the container. _'My god! Sammy!?' _She was leaning towards her right, hand out on the ground loosely grasping her pistol. "Sammy!? Come on, Love, _talk_ to me!" Xiùlán placed fingertips alongside Sam's neck, frantically searching for a pulse. "SAMMY!" Xiùlán was now truly scared for Samantha, almost to the point of blind panic. She grabbed Traynor's collar with both hands and pulled her away from the container; doing so caused Sam's head to loll back, as if she were a broken doll. Yuán placed a hand behind Sam's head to support it as she started to sob. Thinking, _'How the fuck can this be happening!?'_ she started pleading in Chinese, "Lái ba, sà mǐ! Xǐng lái! Gěi wǒ de dōngxī! Wǒ de shēnghuó bùnéng méiyǒu nǐ!" [來吧，薩米！醒來！給我的東西！ 我的生活不能沒有你！ - _Come on, Sammy! Wake up! Give me __somethin__g! I cannot live without you!_]

Xiùlán hugged her unresponsive lover around the shoulders as she screamed towards the ceiling at the top of her lungs, "Sergeant Ross! SERGEANT! I need your help over here!" Xiùlán looked at Sam's face, ashen in the harsh light illuminating this chamber. She kissed Sam and whispered, "Wǒmen yào huí jiā, sà mǐ." [我們要回家，薩米。- _We're going home, Sammy._] Suddenly realizing she was speaking Mandarin, she thought, _'Dammit, Xiùlán! You have got to focus!'_ Speaking Galactic, she pleaded through her tears, "Please, wake up, Sammy! Tell me you can hear me." Her voice was hitching badly as she struggled to speak, "Come on, please! I cannot spend the rest of my life without you…I cannot!" Kissing her again, she looked closely for a response, anything. '_Was that…?'_

Sam's eyelids fluttered just a bit as she whispered, "Xiùlán? Wha…"

She didn't finish as Xiùlán whispered a prayer of thanks to her ancestors, hugging Samantha tight as Marine Sergeant Ross came around the container's end, accompanied by two other marines carrying a litter. "Easy, my love. Marines from the _Hong Kong_ are here! You're going home…we're going home!"

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Xiùlán had never really expressed her feelings concerning the murder of Heather Gonzales; when confronted with the very real possibility of losing Samantha, she realizes just how dear this person has become to her. Coming face-to-face with Sam's mortality, having to accept that Samantha might be dying in her arms shakes her to her core; it's something she'll not be able to easily overcome moving forward._

_My sincere thanks to **Desert Sunrise**, always a vast repository of knowledge. DS's invaluable assistance in writing this chapter is very much appreciated. Hey, DS! Next time you're in my part of the galaxy, I owe you a beer!_


	13. Return and Recovery

_Love has no why, no how, no who. It just is. – _Michele L. Rivera_, Never the Same _

* * *

* DIS SYSTEM • EMERGENCY EVAC *  
– KLENSAL to the HONG KONG –

Marine Sergeant Ross and his squad were extremely efficient – after retrieving all the equipment taken from Yuán and Traynor by their now dead batarian captors, they had loaded the unconscious form of Samantha Traynor into a transfer pod; once sealed, it was only a matter of minutes before she was inside their shuttle. As soon as everyone else was aboard and normal atmosphere had been restored, the pilot initiated a high-speed run for a rendezvous with the _Hong Kong_ as the squad's medic quickly opened the pod and started emergency treatment for Sam. After he secured an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, Xiùlán assisted with the removal of Sam's hard shells and under-armor top.

Grunting when he saw the extent of the bruise on Traynor's side, he carefully inserted a drain in her lower chest cavity; this produced copious amounts of the blood that had leaked from her punctured lung. With much of the liquid expelled from below her lungs, she immediately began breathing easier. Checking her blood pressure and noting her readings were in the basement, he checked her dog tags for blood type before opening another storage case; he pulled out three units of A-Positive synth and set up the first one to begin replenishing her lost blood. After placing the other two units in a small heater to warm the contents, he set an IV drip in her other arm to replenish her fluids. Although still unconscious, Sam's color had improved noticeably by the time she was receiving the second unit of synth-blood and she appeared to be resting easier as the shuttle came to rest inside the _Hong Kong's_ hanger bay.

Xiùlán had held Samantha's hand during the entire return flight and insisted on carrying one end of the litter taking her from the shuttle to the Medbay once they were back on the ship. Even knowing she was going to receive the best emergency medical care available, Xiùlán absolutely refused to let Sam out of her sight, even assisting in transferring her to an operating table in the Medbay – none of the Medbay staff felt it wise to argue with the blood-soaked woman.

* * *

* HADES GAMMA / DIS SYSTEM • SSV Hong Kong *  
SATURDAY EVENING, 2180/03/11

The small Medbay on the _Hong Kong_ felt rather full with two people in for treatment. Ship's Doctor Nathan Finn began working on Traynor's fractured ribs and injured lung the moment she was lying on the table; Xiùlán insisted any treatment of her own injuries could wait until she was certain Samantha's life was no longer in danger.

While Finn tended to Traynor's injuries and made sure she was comfortable, his assistant had helped Xiùlán out of her armor plates. Once she was standing in her under-armor skins, he looked closely at her chest and leg before asking her to strip to her underpants.

Xiùlán looked down at her chest and spotted the dark stain in her shirt. "Shit! That miserable bastard was a good ten meters away!" She quickly inspected her new ceramic chest plate and found the hole, right side of center above her breast. "Damn it!" She peeled off her under-armor and her undershirt, surprised at the amount of blood she'd lost through a gunshot wound she hadn't even noticed.

The doctor's assistant helped Xiùlán onto a treatment table and covered her with a blanket to keep her warm. "Amazing how little pain you feel when your system is full of adrenaline," he said. He checked her blood pressure twice, commenting, "Just a bit low…"; after cleaning the dried blood from her skin, he applied medigel to the wound, started an IV drip to begin replenishing her fluids, and gently washed her hair and face with disinfectant soap to remove all the dried blood from her scalp wound.

He finished by shaving the hair immediately around the gash in her scalp before employing a dermal regenerator to close the wound, commenting as he did so, "When this heals, the skin will begin growing hair just as if nothing had ever happened."

It was several hours before Dr Finn was done tending Samantha's injuries. As he came over to Xiùlán, she asked, "How is she doing, Doc. She's gonna be okay, right?" Tears started trickling from the corners of Xiùlán's eyes as she looked at her still unconscious lover.

Yuán's tears surprised Dr Finn. "I take it Ms Traynor means a lot to you?"

Xiùlán had to swallow past the lump in her throat as she looked at the silent form under the blanket. "Can't live without her, Doc. She's…" Xiùlán couldn't finish as her voice broke; she brought a shaking hand up to cover her eyes.

Dr Finn placed a gentle hand on her upper arm as he quietly told her, "She should be good as new in a few days. You did a great job keeping her alive. I'm told there are fewer slavers in this region, thanks to you and your friend." He shifted his hand from her arm to her hand, gently lifted it from her face and repositioned it beside her hip. "You both did a really good job down there, Ms Yuán."

Xiùlán looked at Sam's unconscious form as she asked, "What…happened to her arm?"

"Badly bruised, is all," he responded absent-mindedly. "Bones are intact…" Dr Finn looked at the gash in Xiùlán's scalp; placing a hand behind her head, he combed through her hair with his fingers and added, "I heard what those slavers did to you, Serviceman. There's a Marine corporal down below who's right handy with a comb and scissors. Want me to ask him to take a look when you're sitting up again?"

"Thanks, Doc," Yuán said in a shaky voice. She heaved a heavy sigh and finished with, "I'll certainly give it some thought."

Dr Finn next pulled the blanket away from her neck to look at her gunshot wound. "Looks like this one bled quite a bit…not surprised you didn't feel it with all the stuff that was happening down there."

He used a hypospray to numb the area before carefully employing a pair of omni-tool directed auto-forceps to extract the minute sliver of metal from the middle of the three minor pectoral muscles, right next to a rib. "First bullet wound, Ms Yuán?"

"First one," she grunted, feeling a jab of pain from the forceps despite the numbing effects of the local anesthetic. "Hope it's my last," she hissed, "but I doubt I'll be that lucky."

After filling the wound with medigel, he bandaged it while commenting, "That'll be sore for a few days. I'll change the bandage in a day or so, take another look at it."

He then helped Yuán roll over to lay face down on the exam table so he could work on her leg. After applying a local anesthetic, Doctor Finn thoroughly cleaned the cut before using a tissue regenerator on her calf muscles. "Traynor pull the blade out and dress this for you?"

Xiùlán took a few moments to answer. After swallowing hard, she said softly, "Yes. Treated the cut on my head, too."

"You were lucky. Most batarians coat their knife blades with a toxin similar to snake poison. She did a nice job, given the circumstances," he said. "I'll be sure to tell her when she wakes up."

Doctor Finn was a pleasant young man of few words; as he continued to work on her leg, he had explained how Captain Mosley had taken on two batarian corvettes, completely destroying one and severely damaging the other. The Marines that boarded the disabled vessel were forced to kill all the surviving batarians when each and every one of them refused to surrender. Given the tight quarters on the batarian ship, the squad leader felt they were fortunate to have had no more people injured in the boarding action than they had, with only two Marines injured seriously enough to require medical attention. The _Hong Kong's_ ordnance expert then disabled the explosive charge wired into the engine core controls, a standard batarian failsafe to prevent their captured ships from being used against them or the hegemony.

Upon searching the vessel, they found a number of interesting items in the cargo bay, not the least of which were several containers of anti-tank mines; one such container was only partially full, which meant there was still 'live' ordnance on the surface, probably near the other pathways to the main facility. There was also a lot of gear that could only be used for subduing and controlling captured people, the most damning of which were the shock collars designed to keep slaves in line. Yuán and Traynor had been lucky – the batarians inside the facility hadn't had time to call down reinforcements with more equipment.

The remainder of the freight consisted of containers full of weapons - heavy pistols, shotguns and assault rifles manufactured by Batarian State Arms; all were of inferior quality, thus meant for bartering with vorcha and krogan mercenaries.

Once the ship was secured, Captain Mosley placed several of the _Hong Kong's_ crew aboard; the _Hong Kong_ was providing escort as the skeleton crew flew the captured corvette with its jury-rigged repairs back to the relay. Once there, they'd meet a relief crew being transported in from the Exodus Cluster.

After leaving the captured corvette, the Marine squad had gone groundside to recover the exploration team; they recovered Sergeant Perkins' body from the wrecked Mako before destroying all the automated cannon turrets around the facility and eliminating the guards stationed outside the repurposed mine.

They had only just entered the facility when they encountered a bloodied Yuán scouting the upper chamber; she had been in the process of collecting all the equipment their captors had removed upon dragging Traynor and herself into the mine.

Doctor Finn finished working on her leg by complementing her, "The size and definition of your calf muscle should be a help in its healing, _but_…it _will_ be sore for several days" He showed her a datapad with a still image of the back of her leg before he began his repair. "That cut was only moderately deep, but it was pretty large; fortunately it was lengthwise to the muscle fibers and entered between the lateral and median heads of the calf muscle. That said, you still need to take it easy for ten to fourteen days. That means no heavy exertion, no running, and go easy on the Tai Chi." He smiled at her look of curiosity. "I've seen your morning routine. You and Traynor are very disciplined. Just…take it easy on that leg, and it should heal with no problem."

* * *

While attempting to find a comfortable position on the medical bed, Xiùlán glanced at Traynor's still unconscious form in the bed next to her. She was struck by how small Sam appeared under the blankets…vulnerable even, IV bag beside her on a hanger, monitor panel above her head softly beeping in time with her heart, keeping track of her blood pressure, her breathing. Yuán silently thanked her ancestors once again that Samantha had survived their ordeal.

She was still watching Sam's silent form when Captain Jaclyn Mosley entered the Medbay to see how she and Traynor were recovering. Seeing that Xiùlán was still awake, Mosley stopped beside the bed as she said, "I just wanted to personally offer my thanks for stopping a slaver operation before it could gain a foothold in the system." Mosley went on to express real admiration that two injured people – students, no less! – had been able to escape from their cages and eliminate all the batarians inside the facility in their bid for freedom, to which Xiùlán had offered a grim smile.

"They were standing between us and the exit, Ma'am." Her expression turned sad as she continued softly, "I'm so sorry about Sergeant Perkins. Did he have family?"

"A brother, parents," she answered. "Dad's military. Brother's still in school." She looked down for a moment, then said sadly, "I have to write the letter. At least we recovered his body. Hope the surgeons at the HQ morgue can close up that knife wound, maybe camouflage it somehow." Mosley looked down again and muttered, "Fucking batarians."

Xiùlán silently agreed before adding, "He was a good Marine, Ma'am, a good person."

"Corporal Barnes mentioned finding a batarian pinned to the ground with a ceramic blade…said there was a pony tail of black hair…," she paused as she studied Xiùlán's hair, "…yours, I presume, since your long hair seems to be missing…it was coiled around the blade protruding from his chest. Some kind of warning?"

"You might say that," Yuán responded in a tone suggesting equal parts sadness and defiance. "Always had long hair, ever since I was a child. It is…" she paused to correct herself, "…or rather, _was_, part of who I am. He was already dying from the gunshot wound." Xiùlán continued quietly, "I made sure he died with the knowledge he'd picked the wrong woman to mess with. Hope you left him where I pinned him."

Mosley almost smiled. "Actually, we didn't feel we had enough time to retrieve him, or any of the others you left behind. Corporal found another batarian deeper in the mine, pinned to the side of a container in a similar manner."

Mosley held up a datapad with a still image displayed on the screen. "I've heard there are some really bad-assed omni-blades in special dev, but I've _never_ seen anything like this." She handed the datapad to Xiùlán.

Yuán raised her right forearm to display her bracelet and said quietly, "Serrice Council, _Savant_, model ten-plus. Asari manufactured for _their_ commandos. That particular blade is special…" Xiùlán demonstrated by holding her arm up straight with clenched fist, "…propelled across the top of the tool, top of our wrist, into whatever our fist connects with. Micro-serrations on each edge – point towards the tip along one edge, away from the tip on the other; makes it extremely difficult to extricate from a body, especially if it's through bone like that one." She handed the datapad back. "Very effective melee weapon."

"I'm surprised they didn't take it from you when they dragged you out of the Mako."

"Keyed to my DNA, so anyone taking it from me would lose their hand if they tried to use it." Xiùlán looked down for several moments as she thought back. "I seriously doubt they realized what it was; it doesn't _look_ like a standard omni-tool interface. Samantha's bracelet looks exactly like this one, has all the same features." Xiùlán looked at the jeweled bracelet. "They had us locked in cages. I had a bloody gash in my head, Traynor was coughing blood. They didn't think we were capable of going _anyw_here. Hell, for all the batarians knew, we were wearing bonding bracelets."

"Must have been pretty bad down there," Mosley replied. Nodding towards the sleeping form under the blankets, she asked, "How's Traynor doing now?"

Xiùlán smiled grimly as her eyes misted. "She lost a hellova lot of blood. Lung nearly collapsed, but she's stable now…should be up and around by the time we hit the relay."

"I understand you refused treatment until Doc Finn treated her injuries," Mosley said,

Xiùlán coughed to clear her throat before continuing. "I wasn't having any trouble breathing, and I was absolutely terrified I was going to lose her in that stinkin' mine." She brought a shaking hand up to her forehead, squeezed both temples between thumb and forefinger. "She scared the living hell out of me, Cap'n."

Tears continued to leak from her eyes, despite her best efforts to rein them in. "Our mission was a failure, Ma'am…we weren't supposed to be discovered, yet we were seen on Jartar and captured on Klensal. We lost a team member, damn near lost our own lives. I don't think we'll receive a passing grade from our instructors, do you?"

"On the contrary, Yuán. Despite being discovered, despite your capture, I'd say your mission was a success. You uncovered and retrieved artifacts from Jartar, pieces that may well be a billion or more years old! Your unfortunate capture by batarians on Klensal resulted in the deaths of every single slaver involved, the destruction of one of their vessels, the capture of another. The only negative for us is the murder of Sergeant Perkins, something none of us could have foreseen."

"His death is something I own now, Captain," Yuán solemnly intoned. "I wasn't able to keep him safe…that in itself is a mission failure to me."

Captain Mosley placed her hand gently on top of Xiùlán's and lifted it away from her face so she could look into her eyes. "You are in no way responsible for Perkins' murder, Yuán. He was under my command, my responsibility. Don't think for even a _second_ you have to bear that burden…it's not something you could have prevented. You and Traynor made those batarians pay for his murder. I won't allow you to leave my ship thinking you owe a debt that is not yours to accept, are we clear?"

Xiùlán solemnly looked at the captain for several seconds before nodding her head.

"Good!" Captain Mosley placed Yuán's hand alongside her hip, holding onto it as she finished with, "You get some rest, Serviceman. You…," she looked over at the sleeping figure of Samantha Traynor. "…both of you…did well today. I'll stop back by tomorrow so I can talk to Traynor; thank her as well for all she did."

Xiùlán laid her head back and closed her eyes as she attempted to calm her raging emotions. She thought back to a conversation she'd had with Sam the morning after they arrived on Mars. '_…Sam was watching me as I ate breakfast. She voiced her fear of losing me 'to something neither of us could control' – I told her I could not bear the thought of losing __her…really came too close to__ discovering how to live my life without her.'_

Xiùlán took a deep breath and let it out slowly, once again offering silent thanks that Sam's life had been spared. Still, her mind refused to rest, thinking about Sam's brush with death…_'right after Heather's murder by Cerberus,'_ Xiùlán remembered, _'Sam told me she was worried I would end up cold on some exam table. Damn if it wasn't almost Sam in my place!'_

The Hong Kong was currently en route to the Antaeus System. Xiùlán hoped Sam would be well on the way to a complete recovery by the time they arrived back in their own cluster. _'I am so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed cuddled up next to Sammy…' _was her last thought as she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Xiùlán didn't know how long she'd slept…she just knew it was long enough for her to be stiff all over; she felt as if every muscle in her body had been dragged through a rolling mill. She knew where she was, as the bed had not miraculously grown more comfortable while she slept. She thought back to awakening in a slaver's cage, hardly able to open her eyes past her blood matted lashes. She cautiously eased her eyelids open without moving her head, which also hurt.

As her eyes focused and adjusted to the ambient light, a face…_the_ face…of the woman she had grown to love, swam into focus. Sam's eyes were open, studying her, waiting for her to wake up. "Good morning, Luv," came the whispered greeting.

Xiùlán tried to rise, but could only manage to bring her head up slightly. "Sammy?" Her mouth was dry, voice gravelly. "My god, Sammy? Oh, my darling Sà mǐ…I'm so happy to see you awake again! I was so terrified you were going…to…leave me."

Traynor grinned as she replied in a quiet voice, "Not ready to check out yet, darling. I'd say we've endured a baptism of fire, wouldn't you?"

Xiùlán returned Sam's grin and carefully reached her hand out. Sam brought a hand out as well; their beds were just close enough for them to intertwine their fingers. Yuán was so relieved to hear Sam's voice and touch her hand, she started to weep. "I thought I'd lost you, Sà mǐ…down there, in that miserable mine." Voice hitching, she continued, "I couldn't find your pulse, Sà mǐ, and your skin was so cold. I was so scared…"

Doctor Finn had heard Xiùlán crying; coming up to their beds, he asked, "Should I push you two together?

Traynor nodded, so the doctor repositioned her bed against Xiùlán's. He gently placed his hand on Xiùlán's forehead while wiping her tears away with the other, saying, "Serviceman Traynor is doing quite well, Ms Yuán. We're monitoring her condition closely, but I really don't expect any complications. She's in excellent health, as are you." He paused to look at her head wound, then continued, "I didn't see a need to insert a catheter in either of you, so feel free to use the facilities when you're ready." He looked pointedly at their IV's as he warned, "Just be careful of your tubes, okay? They hurt like all bloody hell when you simply yank 'em out of your arms."

After leaving them alone, Xiùlán had her emotions back in control enough to smile at the lovely face beside her. "How long were you watching me, Sà mǐ?"

"Long enough. I hardly ever see you relaxed, Xiùlán. Your face is absolutely beautiful when you're asleep…" she paused as she rolled her eyes, "…well, it's beautiful when you're awake as well, but…when you sleep, you're totally at peace…there's a serenity there you don't allow anyone to see when you're awake. It's something I've only ever seen when you're meditating."

Xiùlán smiled at Traynor, then grimaced as she tried to get her upper body a bit more comfortable on the bed. As she moved, her exam gown slipped off her shoulder and revealed the bandage on her bullet wound, causing instant concern in Sam's eyes.

"What the 'ell is _that_ then?"

Xiùlán looked down at her chest as she attempted to straighten the gown. "The first guy _you_ shot? Before you shot him, his bullet went right through my armor plate…I was falling backwards as you killed 'im…even heard your bullet go over my head." Xiùlán nodded at her lover. "You were right…bullet fired from close range _will_ go right through the armor if the kinetic shield is down. Sonovabitch was a good ten meters away from me. Doc managed to dig it out without too much effort, so it wasn't terribly deep. Blood soaked my under-armor shirt, and I never felt a thing."

Sam looked thoughtful. "We need to figure out a way to have an auxiliary shield generator installed within our backplates – something that cannot be easily removed."

Xiùlán grinned ruefully. "Plus I need to get my chest plate repaired by the base armorer." She started to seriously move around on the bed. "Need to pee." By the time she had successfully extricated herself from the bed, she had shredded her gown and any hope of maintaining her modesty. _'…to hell with it!'_ she thought as she tossed the ineffective garment across the room. _'Damned thing is too small for me anyway!'_

Grabbing the stand holding the IV solution, she hobbled her way, nudity be damned, to the small restroom. Samantha covered her mouth to keep from laughing, but the sight of her lover limping in an attempt to stalk angrily across the Medbay in her birthday suit had Sam doubled up as she gasped out, "Dammit, Xiùlán! Don't make me laugh! Hurts!"

Doctor Finn noticed the disgruntled woman as she made it into the restroom and smiled. Her antics had brought joy to Samantha, which he felt was a good thing. Still, it wouldn't do for his patients to be seen running around the Medbay in the buff, so he quickly dug up a long 'over-the-head' gown for Ms Yuán and held it out to her as she emerged from the restroom. Yuán stopped as an arm dropped in front of her. This gown was a lot more substantial and actually had a back. Hook-n-loop along the open sides would make it easier to get on and off. After throwing on this new, mid-thigh length offering, she thanked Dr Finn as she fastened front to back and limped back to her mangled bed.

* * *

* HADES GAMMA / ANTAEUS SYSTEM • SATURDAY MORNING, 2180/03/18 *

The _Hong Kong_ slowed to sub-light speed at the edge of the Antaeus System, the captured batarian corvette still being 'flown' alongside. They had another nine hours travel time to reach the system's Mass Relay, where they were scheduled to meet a full relief crew that would take over repairs and operation of the captured ship.

Traynor and Xiùlán ate breakfast together in the crew mess area, happy to be back in their SDU's after having to spend nearly a week in the Med Bay – Traynor recovering from fractured ribs that had caused injury to her left lung; Xiùlán with a serious scalp laceration, a gunshot wound in her chest and a knife wound in her calf muscle.

As a result of one of their batarian captors cutting off her luxuriously long hair, Xiùlán had allowed Corporal Qian Long Xi, (recommended by Dr Finn as handy with a comb and scissors), to trim her hair in back. Her batarian captor had simply sliced her hair off with a knife; as it had been gathered and tied into a 'pony tail', the raw cut had left many different lengths at the back of her head.

Corporal Qian turned out to be a miracle worker with a woman's hair – he trimmed Xiùlán's very thick hair all over, layering it into what he called a short-messy hairstyle. It was going to take Xiùlán time to get used to her new look; she now had bangs, with a feathery look on the back and sides – the hair on the sides of her head framed her face, giving her, as Qian had told her, '_an overall softer, more feminine appearance'_.

She had laughed when Qian had told her the advantage to this particular style was she could jump out of bed, shake her head, use her fingers as combs and her hair would fall right into place. And until her scalp injury was completely healed and hair from the regenerated skin was once again growing, this haircut helped hide that injury from view.

She had tried the technique this morning and was pleasantly surprised. She only had to use her fingertips to scrunch it around a bit and it looked just as it had the evening before. Amazingly, Traynor had loved her new look, commenting that she couldn't wait to take Xiùlán for a 'test-flight' in their quarters on Mars; Traynor also thought the _'overall softer appearance'_ comment was Qian trying to flatter her. To Sam's way of thinking, Xiùlán's new haircut seriously screamed 'bad-girl'.

"Aw-w-w, Sam. You're jealous, just because a man from my home country thinks I'm an attractive woman. That's so _sweet_," Xiùlán had chided. "I may just keep it this way for a while. It's certainly a lot easier to take care of."

Traynor wasn't so sure _that_ was a good idea either, but decided saying nothing against her lover's idea would produce the least amount of conflict between them.

Captain Mosley had stopped by while the pair were finishing their morning tea (a treat offered by Corporal Qian). After getting a mug of fresh coffee, she sat down across from Yuán and said, "Nice haircut. Too bad it's not regulation."

Mosley had sat next to Traynor, so was unable to see the smirk on her face; Xiùlán frowned at Sam before looking at Mosley and replying with a smile, "For the missions we're going to be assigned, the less I look like I'm employed by the Alliance, the better, Ma'am." She paused to take a sip of tea, then continued, "Traynor here thinks I look like a 'bad girl' – like I run with a gang. You want me to recomb it, Ma'am? Corporal Qian left enough for me to do so."

"Not necessary as far as I'm concerned, Yuán, but thanks for asking. Nice to know you still respect Alliance dress and appearance standards…," here the captain smiled broadly as she finished with, "…even if you _do_ look like a damned anarchist."

"Thank you, Ma'am!" Xiùlán grinned happily. "I do believe that's the look I'm going for."

Mosley looked from Yuán to Traynor and back. "So, both of you healing up okay?"

Traynor answered for both of them. "We are. Dr Finn does excellent work."

Yuán added, "Don't forget the medic on board the shuttle, Sammy. I don't think you would have lasted much longer without intervention by _someone_ that knew what to do!"

"Good to hear." Mosley said. "And just so you know, we recovered your weapons from inside the Mako…tagged 'em and placed them in the armory. Those hand cannons you brought? I'd really hate to be facing the business end of one of those things."

Xiùlán grinned. "That's very good news, Captain. I don't think I want the cost of one of _those_ coming out of my pay. They're designed for use by Council Spectres…at _my_ pay grade, probably take a decade or more to save enough credits to actually buy one!"

Traynor added, "And my sniper rifle has a lot of custom modifications. I'd really hate to start over with a new one. Thank you, Captain."

"We recovered the M-35 as well," Mosley continued. "A few minor hull and control systems repairs and it'll be ready to go again. Damn things are really tough." Her expression quickly turned solemn as she thought about what she'd just said.

Xiùlán caught the change in her mood and immediately commented, "There's something you're not sharing with us, Captain. I can see it in your eyes."

Samantha split her attention between the captain and her lover. "Why, what's wrong, Captain? What are you thinking?" Traynor felt this must be about Sergeant Perkins; she'd not been told any more than that Perkins' killer had cut his throat. "What aren't you telling us, Captain?"

Mosley replied, "I don't think you really need to know just how depraved those people were, Ms Traynor."

Sam looked imploringly at Captain Mosley. "What do you know, Ma'am? Please…tell us."

Mosley returned Sam's gaze with an unhappy look of her own, then suddenly stood and said, "Wait here, Servicemen," as she left for the elevator. After several minutes, during which an unusually solemn Xiùlán refilled her cup with tea, Mosley returned and placed a datapad on the table as she retook her seat; with her other hand she placed a clear vinyl bag, sealed at the top edge with black-striped red tape. Inside were a pair of open tubes, approximately 15 Cm long by 5 Cm in diameter and made of some kind of synthetic material, with a piece of stainless wire wrapped around both of them; there appeared to be dried blood all over both tubes, along with bits of something…red…randomly stuck to the wire.

The captain indicated the bag and the datapad as she said "You _should_ know what humanity is up against out here, Traynor. We found this inside the Mako near the Sergeant's body. We expect the batarian that used this thought he was heaping the ultimate insult on Tobias personally _and_ Alliance Marines in general. The autopsy findings are summarized on the datapad. There are no words," here Mosley looked at Xiùlán, "in any language, that are adequate to describe this level of…" Mosley paused to take a deep breath and let it out before continuing, "…this level of total barbaric disregard for the dignity a person, any person, but especially a soldier, is entitled to."

She nodded grimly at the…thing…in the clear vinyl bag and added as she returned her gaze to Xiùlán, "_This_ is just _one_ reason I will not let you leave my ship thinking you are in any way…you understand me, Yuán?…_any_ way!…at fault for what happened to Tobias. I assigned _him_ to take you ground side in the M-35. It was his job to keep both of you safe and get you back on this ship. His death is not your fault, nor," Mosley looked at Traynor, "is it yours, Ms Traynor. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, things that we cannot predict or prevent."

After reading through the brief description of Perkins' injuries, Samantha could only sit in stunned silence. The animation on the datapad illustrating the use of the garrote, lying on the table in its vinyl container, made her sick to her stomach. She knew the batarian race was savage, cruel to the point of depravity, but she _had_ never heard of _anything_ like this! Their achievements in space flight where totally overshadowed by their…desire, their sick need, to spread their violent ways to other systems.

Traynor no longer harbored any doubts about the correctness of the Alliance's military actions on Torfan, on Elysium, or any of the other places batarians had attempted to replace civil society with their own sick vision of brutality and violence. "I don't believe…," she whispered as tears slowly trickled down her cheeks, "…the batarian race should be allowed to exist beyond their home system."

Xiùlán nodded in agreement as she added, "That would probably be a good thing, Sammy. But think about this – all the batarians we have seen, or heard of, or read about were males. What about the _average_ citizens, the population on Khar'shan?"

"Forbidden to leave batarian space by their government," Mosley responded, "which is why you're unlikely to ever encounter _any_ batarian females outside of the Kite's Nest."

Traynor, needing something to settle her stomach, paused long enough to fix herself another cup of tea. Returning to sit with Captain Mosley and Xiùlán, she listened quietly as her lover continued, "The turians have very few females out here – you and I have encountered only one, Sammy – F'lar'Jid, and she was more soldier than not. I expect there are more like her on the Citadel."

Mosley added to Yuán's thoughts on turians with, "Omega. There are more than a few turian females on Omega; I believe the majority of them are employed as prostitutes, although there are a fair number of mercs as well."

Yuán's smile was grim. "Not the best way to have a presence away from home."

Traynor asked, "What about salarians?…or krogan?

Mosley answered, "Not sure about salarians. As for the krogan, the Genophage makes every fertile female precious beyond belief – males won't risk allowing them to leave the home world. Asari are mono-gendered, so really cannot be counted in this comparison."

Xiùlán took another sip of her tea before observing, "Of all the races out here, Sammy, ours is the only one that has a virtually equal ratio of males and females. Does that make us any better? I don't know, but maybe it _does_ make us less inclined to instigate violence as a means to an end."

Mosley picked up the datapad and evidence bag and rose to leave. Saying "As you were, Servicemen." when Xiùlán and Samantha made to stand up, she continued, "I'm going to return this miserable thing to the evidence locker and get back to work. It was nice talking to you…both of you. I'm glad you're both healing up okay."

Finishing her coffee, she picked up the datapad, nodded to each of them and left.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_I envision Traynor and Yuán's omni-tool bracelets to be somewhat similar to a _**'****_Witchblade' _**_in appearance when not activated. They are also not usable by anyone else. The __**Witchblade**__ in __that__ mythology is unusable by men – in the case of Yuán's and Traynor's omni-tools, anyone placing a stolen tool from one of our ladies on their wrist and attempting to use it, male or female, would quickly lose their hand through amputation – on activation, the bracelet would emit a concentric energy pulse that would rapidly (without benefit of anesthetic) cut through flesh and bone and cauterize the raw ends as it did so, thus freeing itself from its thief._

_I rolled back the descriptions of the violence done to Sergeant Perkins, choosing to leave the explicit descriptions to the imaginations of you, the readers._

_A huge 'thank-you!' to my Beta reader, __**Desert Sunrise**__. I'm sure there are those that will read this and think I'm simply offering hollow praise, particularly since __**DS**__ and I have never had a face-to-face meeting - nothing could be further from the truth. __**DS**__ always has a great deal of insight into the technical aspects of my chapters; despite having a life to live (and being incredibly busy these days) __**DS**__ always seems to find time to read just one more page for me, and I've grown to think of **DS** as a real friend. Thank you! I'm keeping your beer on ice! O.G._


	14. Lessons From Our Enemies

_Life is full of screwups. You're __su__p__posed__ to fail sometimes. It's a required part of the human existence. – _Sarah Dessen,_ Along for the Ride_

* * *

**NOTES:**ADV/CTF: _Advanced Combat Training Facility_

IFF:_ Identify Friend/Foe device - a transponder_

LADaR:_ Light-Amplified Detection and Ranging_

Parrot: _IFF Transponder _

Strangle your parrot: _'shut off the IFF'_

* * *

ALLIANCE SECURNETCOMM  
RTE-SOL/TERRA-CHARON-EXODUS-HADES GAMMA/SSV HONG KONG

**FROM: **General RaeLee Park, Spec. Weapons Dev. Coordinator, Systems Alliance  
**TO: **Serviceman First Class Samantha Traynor - SN 8256-DH-7968  
**TO: **Serviceman First Class Yuán Xiùlán - SN 8257-PVG-09186  
**CC:** Captain Jaclyn Mosley, SSV Hong Kong  
**CC:** Colonel James Franklin, Commandant, ADV/CTF, Mars Base

_Ms Traynor; Ms Yuán:_

_Having read the reports detailing your inaugural mission in the Dis System, Hades Gamma Cluster, I wish to offer my observations regarding the outcome:_

1] _Your recovery of a number of ancient artifacts left behind on planet Dis, despite encounters with Cerberus ground troops, is commendable._

2] _While the death and physical mutilation of Marine Sergeant Tobias Perkins at the hands of batarian slavers on planet Klensal was extremely unfortunate, Captain Jaclyn Mosley has stated her belief (in which I concur) in the success of your mission, due in no small part to your elimination of the batarian slavers attempting to gain a foothold on Klensal after your escape from their captivity. _

_My conclusion is this has been an auspicious beginning to your careers in the Alliance Navy. Well done._

_I also wish to take this opportunity to again offer my sympathy regarding the death of Heather Gonzales at the hands of suspected Cerberus agents. I attended her memorial service here in Vancouver; in addition to offering condolences to her mother and father on your behalf, I also explained that your current assignments prevented either of you from attending in person._

_I will talk to both of you soon, once you are safely back at the training base on Mars. Again, my congratulations on the positive outcome of your assignment._

General RaeLee Park, _Spec. Weapons Dev Coordinator, Systems Alliance Command_

* * *

Xiùlán and Sam each closed their omni-tools after reading General Park's message. Sam looked at her lover and asked, "What do you think? She sent a copy to Colonel Franklin…is that going to tag us as _'General's Pets_'. I sure'n'ell don't want the rest of our class knowing about this…we'd be compared to Joesiar after all the time and effort it cost us to get his miserable ass booted outta the Navy."

Xiùlán thought about General Park and the effect her message would have. "I don't know if it'll be a burden or not. Just have to wait 'til we're back on Mars." Xiùlán's voice betrayed her melancholy mood. "Still don't believe I'll ever stop thinking Sergeant Perkins death is somehow on me, Sammy. I wasn't in charge of the mission, but…"

"…but nothing, Xiùlán! You heard Captain Mosley! Shit happens. Shit happens to good people through no fault of their own, or anyone else's. You have _got_ to let this go, Xiulan! You couldn't have prevented it, couldn't have stopped the four-eyed bastard that did it."

The _Hong Kong_ had reached the relay and was loitering half-a-million klicks away as they waited for the relief crew (needed to take over operations of the captured batarian corvette) to arrive from the Exodus Cluster. The relay had last been utilized for an Alliance Cruiser's passage to the Voyager Cluster and was about halfway through the process of realigning itself to receive a ship from the opposite direction. While they waited, Xiùlán and Sam continued to discuss the message from General Park.

Traynor felt her good opinion of the General now needed to be tempered by the revelation RaeLee Park was a coordinator for _special_ weapons development, with the term 'weapons' being loosely applied to the program in which Xiùlán and herself were enrolled. They were being trained for covert operations; most aspects of that training were designed to create human 'weapons' that most of their potential enemies would never see coming until it was too late.

"We need to treat our experience on Klensal as another lesson, Luv. All the batarians hesitated when they first saw you in that lower chamber," Traynor slowly said, as if thinking out loud. "They don't think human females can be effective fighters."

Xiùlán's response was interrupted by a ship wide alarm, followed by a harsh female voice booming from the overhead speakers. _'This is not a drill! General Quarters…General Quarters…all hands man your battle stations!'_ The alarm continued to sound for five seconds before the command was repeated. _'This is not a drill! General Quarters…General Quarters…all hands man your battle stations!'_ The alarm was finally silenced after continuing to sound for another 15 seconds.

Sam mentally noted that the voice had the metallic flanging of a ship's VI. As Yuán and Traynor were simply passengers, neither of them were assigned duty stations on board; Traynor wanted to see what was happening, so cautiously poked her head past the bulkhead in which the compartment hatch retracted. Noting no one in the crew quarters, she whispered, "Come on," to Xiùlán as she walked through the compartment to the exit hatch.

The hatch was sealed - standard procedure under GQ rules - Traynor released the lock, opened the hatch, waited for Xiùlán and reclosed and sealed the hatch behind her. They were now in the crew's mess, and the few people that _were_ in this area were on the move; most were entering access tubes to either climb or descend to another level.

Xiùlán walked up to the Marine controlling access to the CIC elevator and asked, "Any chance we could go topside, Corporal?"

"Not yet, Serviceman. Boss is still getting a handle on the situation. Shouldn't be long."

Traynor asked, "Do you know why the alarm was sounded?"

"Haven't been told…haven't asked. Best guess? A ship belonging to a possibly hostile race unexpectedly exited the Relay…happens occasionally while we're waiting for a realignment. This relay is paired with four others besides Exodus."

"Thank you, Corporal." Xiùlán turned to Samantha and said, "Might as well have some tea while we're here, Sammy."

* * *

Yuán and Traynor were each nursing a second cup of tea when a two-part tone, different from the alarm tone, sounded three times, followed by a VI announcement from the overhead speakers: _'Secure from General Quarters, Secure from General Quarters! All hands, stand down from General Quarters, return to normal duties or receive your next orders from your Department Heads. Time on deck is oh-nine fifty-eight; Department Heads, muster with the Captain in the conference room at ten fifteen.'_

Traynor looked at Xiùlán. "Don't imagine we'll be able to find out what happened for a while. What do we do?… wait here, try'n flag someone down to ask?"

Yuán shook her head as she replied, "Let's sit and wait. Maybe have a bit of late breakfast / early lunch."

As it happened, they didn't have long to wait – Corporal Qian Long Xi came around the main elevator supports looking for hot water to make tea. He spotted Yuán instantly and smiled. "How are you doing, Serviceman? Everything healing up okay?"

Yuán smiled back as she replied, "I'm doing well, Corporal. What's going on topside?"

Qian held up a finger, silently requesting a moment as he poured hot water into a clean mug and brought it to the table along with a bit of his private stash of tea. He sat across from the women and began to answer Yuán as he brewed his tea. "Ship arrived at the relay…had to identify it from LADaR, as they were flying without a functioning transponder. Appeared to be a batarian cruiser, possibly heading for Dis. Captain strangled our parrot soon as the relay went active – ship apparently didn't detect us."

"Probably answering distress calls sent by the two corvettes you encountered," Sam observed. "Bet they'll be pissed when they find nothing but empty space there."

"How about when they drop a landing party to see why that mine on Klensal has gone silent?" Xiùlán snarked. "Suppose they'll be more pissed at what they find inside?"

"I expect so," Qian said in a thoughtful tone. "Thing is, to whom can they complain? It's not as if what they were doing was legal." He poured his tea into a mug and took a sip. "s'nice," he said. He offered some to each of the women before getting up to leave. "Talk to you later. Oh, and Ms Traynor?" Qian looked at her and smiled. "Let me know if you'd like me to trim your hair a bit before we get back to Mars. I have a style in mind for you that'd really bring out your cheekbones – be perfect for your facial features."

Sam's mouth fell open at this, bringing a giggle from Xiùlán. Before Sam could recover her wits enough to respond, Qian was gone. "Looks like I'm not the only woman on this boat Qian finds attractive, Sà mǐ," Xiùlán snarked. "Should I be jealous?" Xiùlán's answer was a fist applied to her upper arm. "Ow! What was that?" Xiùlán's look of mock injury brought a tiny smile to Sam's face despite her best effort to look offended.

"I don't go out of my way to be attractive to anyone…except you," was Sam's indignant response. "Why would I even _want_ to be attractive to anyone else?"

"So they can be jealous of _me_," came the cheeky reply. "You don't have to make yourself unattractive to other people, Sà mǐ…way I see it, someone hitting on you is a compliment to me. And you're _more_ than capable of taking care of _anyone_ that persists in being a pest. So, just be yourself. If Qian wants to trim and style your hair, why not let 'im? We'll be going into situations where an Alliance regulation cut like yours will be a dead give-away of who you work for…probably not a good thing."

Traynor looked at her lover with skepticism. Finally deciding to drop the matter, she said, "I'll think about it."

* * *

The remainder of their trip back to Mars was uneventful; the pair reported to their section leader immediately after leaving the _Hong Kong_. Except for the comments _each_ of them received regarding their new hairstyles (particularly Xiùlán!), nothing was said regarding their adventures on Jartar or Klensal…they were simply handed their assignments for the following week and told to get some food, rest and continue healing.

Xiùlán grabbed her armored chestplate as soon as they reached their quarters. "I'm going to drop this off, get this bullet hole fixed, then send a message. See you in a bit."

After Xiùlán dropped her chestplate off at the armory, she walked to the Student Comm Center. It was, as expected, quite busy; deciding not to wait for a QEC connection, she used her omni-tool to generate a text message to Mallene Calis, the asari working with Serrice Council on high-end omni-tools. The wait for a 'text-only' message tech was much shorter; when she reached the front of the queue, the tech promised to send Xiùlán's message before the end of his shift, even offering to send an acknowledgement to Xiùlán when it was sent. She thanked him and left after checking her own 'inbox' for messages.

* * *

As fate would have it, their first classes after returning from the Hades Gamma system began immediately upon their return, a two-day training session by an ex-military batarian named Dhevile Creg'falak. He presented a very basic course in the mind-set of the Hegemony, telling them it was a government ruled by extreme paranoia, with the majority of its wealth dedicated to increasing their military might, even at the expense of its citizens, who were prohibited from leaving their home world of Khar'shan.

Out of all the things Creg'falak had told them about batarians, one of the most enlightening concerned their upper pair of eyes – they were quite sensitive to infrared emissions. An activated cloaking shield was of no use against a batarian intent on spotting them; their forms would be visible as red/orange/yellow images when their shields were active, even in pitch dark conditions, to any batarian looking in their direction. This became a distinct disadvantage to batarians on a 'hot' world such as Aratoht; a human's heat signature would tend to blend in with the heat waves emanating from the surrounding surfaces, as long as one remained relatively motionless. Creg'falak added, "It's also worth noting that when a batarian dies, it's believed that his soul leaves the body through the eyes. Treatment of the corpse is not important, unless the eyes have been removed by an enemy."

Creg'falak told them batarians in general strongly believed that species with fewer than four eyes are less intelligent. "We can often gain an advantage during arguments with other species, as they find it difficult to know which pair of eyes to focus on when speaking to us." Creg'falak chuckled as he told them, "Focus on our lower set of eyes when talking to us. Even glancing up at my other pair tells me you are unsure of your position, and I will most certainly take advantage of you in negotiations."

Xiùlán and Sam were amazed at the bad timing of their assignment on Klensal. Sam hissed, "Sure could have put this to good use in that mine!"

Xiùlán's response was terse. "We're getting the info now, so listen close."

Creg'falak had continued speaking. "Body language among batarians is as important as the spoken word. If I tilt my head to _my_ left while talking with you, it's a sign of admiration and respect." Creg'falak next tilted his head to his right as he said, "This is a sign that I consider myself superior to you, or any other person in my line of sight. For a human to use this gesture towards a batarian is very insulting, due to the high value we place on social caste. If you're not prepared, it _could_ get your throat cut."

Traynor very nearly stood up, ready to pound this condescending bastard into a pile of paste on the floor…Xiùlán placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Just listen, Sà mǐ. He has no idea what we just experienced…doesn't even know who we are or where we went. Sit tight. We're learning what we need to know to survive out there."

Traynor looked at her lover for a moment before turning back towards their 'instructor'. She slowly tilted her head to the right as she watched him, keeping her attention focused solely on his main pair of eyes; it took Creg'falak less than a minute to notice her, as everyone else held their heads straight or tilted slightly left as they listened to him. Xiùlán noticed Sam's posture at the same time and whispered a warning, "Sà _MǏ_…"

Creg'falak was silent for a moment before addressing Traynor. "It would appear you don't like me, Ms…?"

"Traynor. And no, I don't like you, _Mister_ Creg'falak."

Creg'falak smiled. "I won't ask you why, Ms Traynor. The majority of the humans I have encountered seem to dislike me…not unexpected; as a race, we _do_ seem to be our own worst enemy. The batarians you have been exposed to are not the average citizens of my homeworld. I suspect you…" he glanced briefly at Xiùlán, "…and your friend recently encountered, what?…pirates?… or slavers, perhaps?"

"Slavers," Traynor replied as she looked around at the others in the room. All eyes were riveted on her; most appeared to be amazed at the effrontery she displayed. "Hades Gamma system. Barely got away with our lives. They did _not_ leave with theirs."

"I see. So, for you, the score or so of slavers you encountered somehow makes all of us…" Dhevile placed a hand in the middle of his chest for emphasis, "…suspect, eh?"

Had Traynor's eyes been lasers, Creg'falak would have been dead where he stood. "Yes!"

"Well, I suspect it's a good thing for me the Systems Alliance has guaranteed my safety while I am teaching here." Dhevile tilted his own head to the right as he continued, "I believe I would not enjoy meeting you outside the classroom environment."

Traynor's brown eyes were molten, in total contrast to the ice in her response, "You probably would not survive the encounter, _Sir_."

* * *

Xiùlán waited outside the section commander's office while she met with a thoroughly pissed-off Samantha Traynor. The batarian instructor, Dhevile Creg'falak, had reported her disrespectful and threatening attitude as soon as he'd left the classroom. Xiùlán had tried to reason with Sam, but she was beyond listening to anyone, even her lover. Now, she'd be lucky if she wasn't washed out of the program. Despite her natural gifts when it came to electronics, her willingness to say exactly what she was thinking had finally come around to bite her in the ass.

The inner door opened to reveal a somber-faced Traynor; she was followed out of the office by Major Rebecca Stern, who apparently wanted to add a few more words. "Serviceman Traynor, you are so _very_ close to finishing, with honors I might add. Please don't allow your apparent hatred of batarians to ruin your future with the Alliance."

Sam turned back to the woman and replied, "Thank you, Ma'am. I'll certainly think about everything you told me."

Major Stern noticed Yuán and nodded in her direction. "Serviceman Yuán, I'd like you to keep an eye on Traynor for me. The death or injury on this base of that miserable batarian _now_, after Traynor as much as promised him he was dead meat, in front of witnesses no less, would cause more problems for us than I can imagine. Please don't let her do anything to jeopardize the already fragile peace we have with the Hegemony."

Before Xiùlán could respond, Sam turned back and responded, "Don't worry, Major. Any batarians dying by my hand will be righteous kills, sanctioned by the Alliance."

The major's frown intensified, but she said nothing more as she turned on her heel to return to her office. Yuán got the distinct impression a bottle of hooch was hidden in a desk drawer, a bottle whose siren call Major Stern was going to answer as soon as the door closed behind her.

"Come on, Sammy…let's head back to our quarters. Oh, and thanks," Yuán snarked.

"For…?"

"For making sure I need to have you in my sights _anytime_ we're out. You must realize everyone will come looking for you if Dhevile Creg'falak winds up dead, no matter _what_ the cause," Xiùlán said solemnly, as she led Sam out into the passageway.

Sam's mouth fell open in amazement. "You actually think I'm capable of murdering someone in cold blood? Honestly?" Sam got ahead of Xiùlán, turned and stepped backwards for several paces with a hand on Yuán's shoulder until she stopped. Shaking her head, she continued, "Xiùlán, I know I've talked a mean streak about wanting to end Marianna Walsh and Darius Holden for what they did to Heather, but seriously, I'm not about to kill some random batarian just because he doesn't respect me…I'm not a cold-blooded killer, Luv!"

Xiùlán grabbed Sam's hand as it was withdrawn from her shoulder. "Sà mǐ, you are my lover! _Anything_ I could say in your defense would be heard with a critical ear, especially since I have trained you so well in hand-to-hand combat. No one I know is your equal, Sà mǐ… no one…"

Sam interrupted with, "…except you, Ai [愛 - _Love_ (_Sam's meaning is 'luv'_)]"

Xiùlán started walking again as she answered thoughtfully, "I'm not all that sure I could take you any longer, darling. I certainly wouldn't want to personally test your abilities."

"Xiùlán!" Sam exclaimed. "Don't you dare think…not even for a second!…that I would go up against you on the mat! I couldn't…I wouldn't do it!"

By this time the pair had reached the entrance to their quarters. Traynor waved her activated omni-tool past the lock interface, which promptly turned green to admit them. Once inside with the hatch closed and sealed, Sam kept her omni-tool activated; changing its function, she walked around their quarters, using the tool to search high and low for monitoring devices.

Xiùlán took notice as she sat at her desk and activated her terminal. "Sà mǐ, what the…'

Sam held up her free hand as she finished the main living and dining area. With a finger pressed against her lips, Sam went into their sleeping and bath area. "Xiùlán!" Sam waited until Xiùlán entered the room; directing her gaze at a spot next to an overhead light, she entered a command into her omni-tool. This resulted in a miniature flash as the small camera Sam had discovered overloaded and exploded; debris from this was contained in a miniature Mass Effect bubble Sam created to contain the camera's contents. Using her omni-tool as a remote pilot, she directed the bubble back out into their living area. Here, she set it down on her desk, then dissolved the bubble, allowing its contents to fall onto her desk with metallic and glass-like tinkles of sound.

"Gǎo shénme guǐ…?" [搞什麼鬼…？- _What the hell…?_] Xiùlán came around the desk to look closely at the shattered device. "A camera…? In our goddamned bedroom? How long has that been there!?" Yuán was slowly reaching her boiling point as she looked at the pieces of the shattered device.

Traynor was using the microscope function on her omni-tool to minutely inspect the pieces of metal. "Looks like human manufacture, Luv…L.S.P. - Light Shadow Pictures." She entered the model number and 'LSP' into an ExtraNet search; after several seconds her tool trilled with a response. "LSP appears to be a shell company, owned by Cerberus, so this camera was probably placed by a Cerberus agent. We were gone plenty long enough for someone to get in here and plant this."

Sam straightened up and rolled her head around in an effort to work the kinks from the muscles. "Guess they felt they needed to put us on the ExtraNet, since they were going to the trouble to watch us nude and rude. I _do_ know it wasn't in here before we traveled to Hades Gamma."

Xiùlán eyed her skeptically. "How can you be so sure?"

Traynor chuckled as she responded, "Because I've been scanning our quarters every night before we go to bed…before we even get undressed for bed, ever since… Heather's murder." Sam's expression turned grim. "This is our first night 'home' from Hades Gamma. I have a feeling someone has informed Cerberus how serious we are about finding Walsh and Holden's handlers. _Has_ to be more sleeper agents on this base than just those two, Luv. They want what's in the Prothean archives."

"Prothean?"

"The race of people, vanished without a trace…or _almost _without a trace, 50,000 years or so ago. That's what the dig site is all about. The experts…the archeologists…believe those archives hold the key to understanding the _why_ of their disappearance. Learning _that_ would go a long way towards discovering the _how_." Traynor shook her head as she added, "Damn! I need to strengthen the encryption on our entrance door _and_ double down on checking for monitoring devices, especially now I know what to look for."

Xiùlán had a chilling thought. "Sam, if there _are_ Cerberus sleeper agents amongst us, then you aren't the only human on this base that dislikes batarians…they could make an attempt on Dhevile Creg'falak's life, pin the blame on you. Shit!" Activating her terminal, she placed a call to Base Security, explained what they knew, what they feared and requested an urgent security check on Dhevile Creg'falak in the guest instructor's quarters. Closing the connection, she whispered, "I hope they're not too late."

* * *

Dhevile Creg'falak was returning to his quarters from dinner. The passageway lighting in this area suited him immensely…it was bright enough for him to see his way clearly while being dim enough for the comfort of his upper pair of eyes.

He was almost to the entry hatch when he caught a hint of motion ahead. Slowing his forward progress, he surreptitiously reached behind his back and pulled a knife from its hidden sheath. If that disrespectful little human bitch Traynor thought she was going to kill him from behind the cloak of a shield, she was in for a real surprise.

He sensed rather than heard the movement behind him; instantly recognizing his error, he whirled around and planted the 25 Cm blade in the middle of the unknown assailant's chest at the same time he kicked for barely visible legs. The attacker coughed in surprise and fell back, giving Dhevile enough time to spin back around to catch the first assassin in the face with a closed fist as he grabbed for the weapon whose outline he could see…a light pistol, silencer equipped. Turning the weapon on its former owner, he pulled the trigger twice. Turning back to the man in whom he'd planted his knife, he fired two shots at the shadowy center of mass. The second shot disabled the shield generator, revealing a human male, heavy-set, bearded, with pale blue eyes that gazed in pained amazement at Dhevile for a second that seemed like an eternity before he crumpled to the floor.

Creg'falak turned back again to find the second man on his knees, shield generator disabled, staring at the blood on his hands, before he too fell face first onto the floor, his last breath forming a red froth on his lips as he died.

"Hands where we can see them!" Creg'falak looked down the passageway to see three humans in security uniforms trotting towards his location. He held his hands out from his sides, allowing the pistol to hang upside down, his finger in the circular trigger guard. The fellow in the center calmly walked up to him and eased the pistol from his finger as he spoke, "Looks like these guys were overmatched, Mr Creg'falak."

"How did you know there was trouble?" Dhevile asked.

"Got a tip…two of your students from earlier today. Seems they were concerned about your safety. Can't imagine why that would be, can you?"

Creg'falak replied, almost to himself, "No. No, I can't imagine any reason for their concern."

* * *

Walking to their second day of instruction on the batarian race, Yuán and Traynor were surprised to find their instructor, Dhevile Creg'falak, standing outside the entrance, greeting the students as they entered. He looked intently at each of them as they approached, then surprised Traynor by holding up a hand and asking her to hang back for a moment. When it looked as if Xiùlán was going to pause as well, he smiled and waved her into the room.

After everyone else was inside, Dhevile leaned against the bulkhead and addressed Traynor, who stood in front of him, just out of reach but on the balls of her feet, ready for whatever was going to happen. "I wanted to thank you for alerting base security last night. They arrived just as I finished dealing with the two assassins sent by…"

"…Cerberus," Traynor finished for him. "The security team contacted Yuán and myself afterwards. Bastards planted a camera and listening device in our sleeping area while we were in the Hades Gamma cluster. I found and destroyed it. That's why we called security."

"What made you think I was in danger, Ms Traynor?"

"Perfect setup. I told you I didn't like you, and any meeting outside of class would not end well for you." Traynor tilted her head ever-so-slightly to her left and smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. "You were lucky…they sent amateurs. The plan was for them to kill you and leave evidence behind that would point back to me."

"Why involve security?" Dhevile asked. "You could have easily turned your back on all this and been done with me, let them kill me, or…." Dhevile smiled as he corrected himself, "…let them attempt to kill me."

Traynor's countenance was grim. "I'm not a cold-blooded murderer…don't plan on becoming one, directly or indirectly. Our call to base security wasn't for your benefit, Mr Creg'falak…at least, not completely. If they had succeeded in their task, it'd have been _my_ ass spinning in the wind." She pointed a finger past Dhevile's shoulder as she added, "Tells me there's a Cerberus sleeper agent inside that room."

"What do you intend to do? As I understand, Cerberus doesn't just give up."

"That's becoming more evident as time goes on," Traynor replied with a frown. "At this point, all I can do is remain vigilant, try to be ready for whatever happens."

Creg'falak motioned to the classroom as he said, "I should get started…there'll be a lot of information in today's class." Pointing to his secondary eyes, he added with a grin that Traynor found a bit disturbing, "I will pay close attention to the rest of the students; try to discern if any appear to not belong." Opening the door, he motioned for her to go before him as he said, "Shall we?"

* * *

* MASS RELAY – GEMINI SIGMA – HAN SYSTEM *  
2180/04/02

The slow rotation of the ancient Relay's containment rings gradually increased in velocity as the device accepted transit instructions from the relay in the Antaeus System. The glow from the eezo core within the coaxial rings grew in proportion to their rapidly increasing rotational speed; as they reached their maximum speed, a massive electrical arc flashed outward from what could be considered the 'near' side of the rings. The discharge stretched out over 2800 kilometers to envelope a salarian freighter that appeared in the distance and rapidly decelerated to its cruising speed as it came abreast of the relay.

Once again running in 'normal' space, Captain Uzor Saelon entered new destination coordinates into the nav-comm – he was heading for Paravin, the planet closest to the system's pale yellow sun. The _MV Crystal Scarab_ responded briskly, accelerating as it changed course to intercept the planet coming around the sun on the far side of its orbit.

"Nine to ten hours until planetfall." The salarian answered the question Septivus Vulpez had been about to ask as he entered the bridge. "Planet's on the far side of Han from our position."

"Have you swept the system for other ships?" Vulpez was always concerned when jumping into a 'dead end' system such as Han; its relay was only paired with the relay in Hades Gamma…_that_ relay was paired with four others besides Gemini Sigma, which meant there were multiple places from which trouble, mainly in the form of pirates, could ensue.

Vulpez was searching for the writings and notes attributable to asari Matriarch Dilinaga. During the golden age of asari space exploration, Matriarch Dilinaga had visited many systems; her notes were prized as cultural treasures by the asari people. Vulpez had first discovered previously long-lost records of her presence within a beacon orbiting Porolan; _that_ discovery had led him to Nonuel, a volcanic planet orbiting the blue star of Plutus in the cluster they'd just left. He had spent weeks sorting the clues into a coherent map that was a fairly accurate depiction of the Matriarch's travels in the system; the search had been rewarding, as Matriarch Dilinaga had left records in three separate locations there.

"Scans are negative for other ships in this system, Septivus Vulpez." The salarian captain's rapid-fire answer to his question brought Vulpez back to the business at hand.

"Thank you, Captain Saelon. I'll be in my quarters. Please call me when we're one hour out." Septivus turned on his heel and stalked back to his compartment, intending to sleep for several hours before grabbing a bite to eat.

As the _Crystal Scarab_ increased its velocity and disappeared into the blackness of interstellar space, the relay once again became active. As before, a massive electrical arc flashed outward from the rapidly revolving rings, enveloping a medium-size warship with faded paint in various shades of deep green; the paint appeared scored and marked by numerous close encounters with various ship-based weapons. The corvette changed course, setting off for Patatanlis, the fifth planet in the Han system. The batarian captain intended to orbit the planet at maximum distance, reasoning that the freighter he was following would_ have_ to return to this quadrant to use the relay. When that happened, Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz and the _Black Slayer _would be waiting…

* * *

_A/N: Things are in motion that will affect Xiùlán and Samantha in a few short months. As always, thanks for reading!_


	15. A Shot in the Dark

_Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying. – _Terry Pratchett,_ The Color of Magic_

* * *

Samantha Traynor returned from the bathroom and quietly slipped into bed with her lover; Xiùlán wrapped her arms around Sam and hugged her as she gently planted a kiss on Sam's nose. "I love you, Sà mǐ, [薩米 –_Sami_] so I want you to listen to what I'm about to tell you and treat my words as solemn advice…advice intended to help keep you alive, from a person that cannot conceive of any future without you by her side!"

Traynor looked into Xiùlán's eyes…twin pools of inky blackness in the dim light of their sleeping area. Her face was so close Sam's lips brushed softly against Xiùlán's cheek as she whispered an answer, "_Whatever_ you desire, my love. You know I'll do anything you ask of me."

Traynor could see the outer corners of Xiùlán's eyes crinkle in response to the unseen smile her last statement had provoked. "Sà mǐ, you are the smartest person I have ever met, so I have a difficult time understanding why you wear your emotions on your sleeves when it comes to your dislikes. I know you detest batarians, particularly after our misadventure on Klensal; everyone in our classroom now knows your feelings concerning batarians, including our batarian instructor. You _really_ need to stow that attitude when you're in public, darling."

"Xiùlán, I…" Sam started to explain, attempted to make her friend and lover understand.

"No, Sà mǐ, you need to listen to me, _please_!" Xiùlán was pleading with Sam, her voice growing ragged even as she continued to whisper. "I don't want to see your animosity for batarians get you killed on our next mission; worse, your actions could get _me_ injured or killed as well. You absolutely _have_ to maintain total control over your emotions, get over your hate for batarians; pirates and slavers are one thing, but the average batarian is not too different from you or me. They're all just trying to make their way through life with the least amount of trouble possible. Revealing your presence by killing one during a clandestine mission will gain you…us…nothing but trouble, Luv, and quite possibly result in your death. Control, Sà màn shā, _control_. You _never_ want them to see you coming."

Sam wasn't sure how to respond, so pulled Xiùlán close and kissed her. "This is important to you, Ai?" [愛 - _Love?_ (Sam's meaning is 'Luv')]

"You are the most important person in my life, Samantha, so yes, this _is_ important to me. Our natural lives are short enough…too damned short compared to asari or krogan." Xiùlán planted her lips on Sam's mouth, only pulling away to take a breath and finish with, "I intend for us to live out what years we are granted, together…can't do that if you get yourself killed by losing control of your emotions when we're on a mission."

The inky-blackness of Xiùlán's eyes held Sam's eyes riveted. "It will be as you ask, Xiùlán, and I am sorry for disappointing you yesterday. You know I talked to Dhevile Creg'falak this morning before our class. We came to an understanding, and I will do whatever I need to do in order to make you proud of me."

"Oh, Sà mǐ. Don't _ever_ think I am not proud of you… proud of your accomplishments… of your abilities. You are so _very_ special to me, and nothing…" Xiùlán began planting little kisses on Sam's face as she finished, "…will…ever…change…that."

Sam kissed Xiùlán back, then took one of her favorite sleeping positions…lying on her side facing her lover, cuddled into the nook of the closest shoulder with a leg thrown across both of Xiùlán's; engulfed in a pair of sinewy arms, Sam wrapped her own arm over Xiùlán's tight midsection as she placed a kiss on the soft skin under her jaw.

Xiùlán whispered, "Wǒ ài nǐ, Sà mǐ," [我愛你,薩米 –_I love you, Sami_] as she kissed the top of her head.

* * *

It was early morning, and Traynor's backside felt cold. Reaching around behind her, she blindly patted with her hand, expecting to find Xiùlán had retreated to the far edge of the bed, only to discover the bed empty behind her. Looking around, she could make out a bit of light seeping under the door; glancing at the chrono beside the bed confirmed it was really early – 0535, or _oh-dark-thirty-five_, as she liked to call it.

Throwing the covers off, she rose and stepped into the bathroom; after relieving her bladder, she splashed a bit of water on her face, pulled on her robe against the chill in their room and went out to their main living area.

Xiùlán was sitting at her desk talking to someone whose voice sounded vaguely familiar. Sam caught her attention and mouthed the words, 'What's up, Luv?'

Xiùlán raised her hand, one finger up as she returned her attention to her monitor, silently asking Traynor to wait for her to finish. Seeing the tea kettle by Xiùlán's side, Traynor grabbed her mug and poured some tea for herself before sitting in one of the upholstered chairs, feet and legs folded underneath her. She didn't have long to wait.

Xiùlán stood as she cut the connection. "That was Mallene Calis. I asked her to see if Serrice Council would be willing to design an add-on for my omni-tool." She paused to take a sip of tea."

"What type of add-on? Bet it's a weapon," came the snarky reply.

"You're actually correct. I want them to design a mod for the mini-fabricator that will allow it to produce a shuriken [手裡劍]; more correctly, a xīlā shǒu lǐ jiàn [希拉手裡劍 - _hira shuriken_] – that is, a Japanese throwing star."

Xiùlán displayed a photo of a four-bladed disk, all in black except for the edges of each curved blade, which were honed razor sharp. "It occurred to me that if the tool can fabricate a straight blade that can be launched when my fist strikes something solid, why not a small, multi-blade weapon the tool can launch with a spinning motion when I flick my hand at the wrist?"

"Sounds intriguing," Traynor replied, then asked in a thoughtful voice, "How far would this…spinning star…be able to travel? Is it accurate? Is it capable of penetrating armor?"

Xiùlán leaned back in her chair as she answered, "It's not intended as a killing weapon, although it _can_ be deadly. Its primary use is as a nuisance…a distraction, and it's only accurate out to about 8 or 9 meters. It'll stick _in_ armor, but won't penetrate. Actual targets are primarily the more exposed parts of the body: the eyes, face, and head." She took a sip of tea before continuing. "Adding a bit of quick acting poison to the edges of the blades on those stars made of steel made it quite deadly back in the day; today, the poison would have to be tailored specifically to the target's physiology, and the mini-fabricator makes a white-hot piece of ceramic that would burn off any organic poison."

Traynor thought for a few moments, then replied, "Easy enough…always figure a batarian enemy!" She responded to Xiùlán's perturbed look with "What!? We're certainly not likely to run into any other races on the missions for which we're training. Secondary race _might_ be human, if we get to go after Cerberus. They're not likely to send us out against known biotics, so that eliminates the asari and about half the human and half the krogan population. So, batarians or some humans. Simple."

Xiùlán shook her head in mock annoyance. "You really _aren't_ going to let the batarians off the hook, are you?"

Traynor smiled. "Not likely." After a brief pause, she continued, "So, when will this mod be available? Sounds like a complicated bit of software."

"Ms Calis will call back when she has a definite answer. Once the code is written, it'll be an easy download from the Serrice Council Secure Extranet site."

"Good. Don't want to have my omni-tool sitting in a workshop somewhere waiting for someone to return from lunch. Speaking of which…" Traynor looked at the chrono on the wall, "I'm starved, but it's still too early for breakfast to be served. Let's get through our morning exercise routines so we can shower and get dressed; by the time we're all done, we can go get some breakfast!"

"Great! I could really go for some pan fried green onion pancakes, maybe with an egg. Nice hot cup of tea! Mmmm! Can't wait!"

Traynor wrinkled her nose as she snarked, "Maybe for you! I'll steer clear of the pancakes. Maybe a nice omelet…" The women continued their friendly banter as they spent the next thirty-five minutes performing their Tai Chi routines, after which they showered, got dressed and left their quarters for the Mess Hall.

* * *

Traynor's next class was being taught by a salarian member of the Union's STG – their Special Tasks Group. Lieutenant Ganto Imness was on short-term loan to the Alliance for this one program, after which he would return to the 3rd Infiltration Regiment.

Traynor was impressed with Imness' background and the STG in general; their sole focus was on gathering intelligence before committing themselves irreversibly to whatever task was assigned to them, and they always had an alternate, backup plan ready to enable successful completion of their mission.

Of all the special knowledge the Lieutenant shared with the class, Samantha was most intrigued by the software Imness had allowed her and several of her classmates to add to their omni-tools. The mini-program would allow her to modify a personal shield generator so it could be used to assassinate someone; once so modified, all one had to do was infiltrate and replace the target's personal shield generator. It would be a simple matter afterwards to set up a situation that would cause the target to fear an attack. The instant the shield was activated for protection, it would quickly and silently crush the person wearing it. Once complete, the program would self-delete from the mini-computer, leaving nothing to trace. The death would appear to be nothing more than a shield malfunction.

After passing the hack on to his students, the salarian added one more mini-program to their omni-tools, recommending as he did so that everyone in the class use it faithfully to _remotely_ test their personal shield generators _before_ they put them on, _every_ time before they put them on.

Traynor's fertile mind now had the answer she had been looking for regarding Marianna Walsh and Darius Holden, the pair of low-level Cerberus operatives responsible for the death of her friend Heather Gonzales. She began designing code in her head as the class continued…code that would allow her to remotely hack a shield generator actually being worn by someone, rather than having to substitute a previously modified device. It would be a lot less trouble, with less chance of something going wrong in the execution of the hack. She also needed to add the scanning program to Xiùlán's omni-tool and make sure she was using it…Traynor was certainly not going to allow her lover to be killed by anyone using her own shield generator against her.

* * *

Xiùlán and Sam had been splitting their class time on Mars with more frequent short missions in the nearby systems; systems of interest to humans were usually a bone of contention with the Batarian Hegemony. The pair made several low-profile trips to the Viper Nebula, home cluster for batarian colonization on the second planet orbiting Bahak. Aratoht was nobody's idea of a garden world; air pressure of just over half that of Earth and low atmospheric oxygen content were a deterrent to large-scale colonization by humans. The Hegemony had been quietly colonizing Aratoht's Polar Regions, where the planet's heat was manageable due to heavy rainfall.

As colonial statistics were tightly restricted by the Hegemony's Information Control Department, Yuán and Traynor had made a total of four landfalls of three-days duration each near the fledgling colonies to gather information deemed crucial to the Alliance's long-range defense plans; as the system's Mass Relay connected only with Charon, the military felt the name 'Viper' to be quite appropriate – a snake coiled and ready to strike in the Local Cluster and shortly after in Arcturus.

Of special interest was the discovery of an extensive mining industry; massive quantities of the high-density planet's rich lodes of ferrous and heavy metals were being retrieved for off-world shipment through extensive use of slave labor; Traynor was quick to point out that this planet most likely would have been their new home if they hadn't escaped their captors on Klensal.

The batarians had spent untold billions of credits and endured thousands of casualties in their efforts to prove humans were cowardly weaklings for abandoning efforts to colonize such a rich planet; the Alliance chose to concentrate their colonial efforts on planets that could support human life without the aid of domed habitats and rebreathers. What the batarians scornfully attributed to human spinelessness, the Alliance saw as a prudent use of scarce resources, both in materials and in personnel.

On their last planetfall, Xiùlán and Sam were two klicks apart from each other covertly observing a military base when Sam had the misfortune of being discovered by a batarian patrol; she quickly subdued the pair and hid them within the fractures in the massive rock formations common to the area. After waiting for an hour to see if their absence was noticed, Xiùlán joined up with Sam so they could relocate to a position south of Traynor's location, where they continued their observations for another six hours.

As they were so far north on the planet, there was no 'sunset' or 'sunrise' – the sky simply darkened a bit as the sun hugged the horizon for a few hours, similar to the 'midnight' sun effect in the northern reaches of the North American continent on Earth. It was during this period of twilight the pair was able to actually enter the base and record video footage of the soldiers, slaves, weapons caches, vehicle depots and the like.

Making their way back to their extraction point was made more difficult by the increased patrols looking for the intruder or intruders responsible for beating two of their comrades senseless and leaving them to cook in the rocks west of the base. After dodging patrols for over four hours, they were finally able to meet their shuttle and head back to the _SSV Agincourt_; after a shower, change of clothes and some hot food, they attended the debrief with the ship's captain, who was quite interested in their reasons for being so late for their rendezvous with the shuttle, as was the Alliance information officer assigned to record and analyze their observations.

* * *

Upon arriving 'home' after their latest mission, Yuán had an incoming message alert. Dropping her gear bag at the entrance to their sleeping quarters, she keyed on her terminal and read the message twice before closing the interface and looking at a waiting Traynor with a small smile. "Mallene Calis responded to my inquiry about modding my omni-tool. Serrice is creating the software…should be ready by middle of next week." She paused to perform some mental calculations. "If Serrice stays on schedule, I'll have it installed on my omni-tool a couple days before we have to leave again."

"That should make you happy. Give you a day or so to practice using it before we go out again. I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what type of bladed circle it makes," Sam said with an evil-looking grin. "Come on; let's get our stuff put away so we can go eat."

Xiùlán smiled as she pointed to the flashing alert on Sam's desk. "Better take a look at your own terminal, Sà mǐ. Looks like there's a message waiting for you as well."

Traynor went to her terminal and keyed it on as Xiùlán walked past, headed for their bedroom. She had just grabbed her gear bags when she heard a choked exclamation from Sam. "Those miserable _bastards_!"

Xiùlán turned back with a frown and waited for Traynor to explain. "Someone got to 'em in the lockup, Linn! They're dead…throats cut, just like Gonzales!"

Fearing she already knew the answer, Xiùlán asked the question. "_Who_ is dead, Sà mǐ?"

"Our pals from Cerberus! Walsh and Holden…night before last, in their bloody cells! Someone managed to get past all the fantastic security there and slice their necks open from ear to ear!" Traynor hung her head as she leaned on the edge of her desk for a few moments before allowing her body to drop heavily into her chair. "Bloody fuckin' _'ell!_"

Xiùlán thought for a moment, then asked, "Surely there must be surveillance vids? Or witnesses? Someone _must_ have seen _something_ out of the ordinary…"

"Security vid's been scrubbed clean, most likely by a self-deleting virus. No witnesses either – and that's probably a _good_ thing…no need in having anyone else dead because of this!" Samantha leaned back in the chair, hands balled up with her palms over her eyes and fingertips against her forehead. "_Bollocks_! I _really_ wanted to quiz that little bitch _before_ those two were transported off-planet! Learning who was behind the operation that got Gonzales murdered is gonna be nigh on impossible now!"

"Well, we _do_ know Cerberus was involved…that narrows the field somewhat." Xiùlán paused to think for a moment, and then asked, "Did Dhevile Creg'falak reveal if he thought anyone in our two-day batarian familiarization class stood out as a possible Cerberus sympathizer or operative? You told me he was _really_ scrutinizing everyone on the second day."

"Apparently no one looked like an alien hater…except _me_ on the _first_ day," Traynor replied with a frown. "I'm sure someone in that class set up the attempted hit on 'im. Perhaps when that failed, it was decided to simply eliminate the possible threat of betrayal by Walsh and Holden." Traynor brought her hands down and started composing a message for Corporal Claudine Phillips as she explained, "I'll send a note to one of the two Marines that took Walsh into custody – Corporal Phillips…see if she can meet us in the Mess Hall. Maybe she'll have some insight into what happened."

Xiùlán replied, "Sounds good. I'm going to get cleaned up and changed. Hopefully Phillips will be able to meet us during lunch."

* * *

* MASS RELAY – GEMINI SIGMA – HAN SYSTEM *  
2180/06/28

The _MV Crystal Scarab,_ wreathed in blue and white swirling ethereal clouds of charged energy particles, dropped into 'normal' space just over a million kilometers from the Mass Relay that would be their conduit back to the Hades Gamma cluster. Captain Uzor Saelon performed a routine sweep of the immediate area as the navigator and pilot conferred about the coordinates needed to travel to Patatanlis in order to discharge the drive core. Once _that_ chore was done, they would hop the relay for a ride back to the Antaeus System.

Septivus Vulpez had been fortunate; Paravin, the first planet orbiting Han, was home to an unmanned station in geosynchronous orbit. Vulpez found a small treasure trove of Matriarch Dilinaga's ancient written texts on board; further, there was one text in particular that had indicated a similar deposit was located on Mavigon; what they found there was quite possibly every bit as valuable as _all_ the texts found so far. A figurine of Janiri, the asari goddess of seasons, storms, and agriculture; it stood approximately 40 centimeters high and was in excellent condition despite its apparent age, which Vulpez estimated to be 2000 to 2500 years old, possibly closer to 3000.

It was carved from a single piece of Bolan wood; extremely dense and tightly grained, this wood was prized for its beautiful colors and the contrasting striations brought about by the hardening process once a piece had been carved. It was thought by most asari the Bolan tree was extinct, as it had been over a thousand years since a single specimen had been seen anywhere else in the galaxy. To have found this carving, undoubtedly once in the possession of the Matriarch, was a discovery of the first order.

In addition to listing all of his discoveries (with still photos where necessary) on his personal datapad, Vulpez had carefully logged all of his findings in his personal journal, a small book he kept hidden in an interior pocket of his jacket. At 87 days, this excursion had taken a lot longer than he would have liked. Having to visit two planets to recover everything accounted for much of the additional time, but the rewards for this trip would be extensive.

He had carefully placed all of Matriarch Dilinaga's texts into a specially designed case; each was separated from the next by a piece of archival material designed to resist the effects of centuries of neglect. The pages were delicate, and Septivus was taking no chances with the brittle relics. He intended to present them to the asari councilor on the Citadel, and did not wish to be seen as a simple profiteer of ancient artifacts.

Septivus had just picked up the Janiri figurine, intending to place it in a special case when he was tossed across his compartment by an abrupt course change simultaneous to a staggering impact at the vessel's stern. It appeared they had come under attack.

* * *

Corporal Claudine Phillips had grabbed a mug of coffee and joined Traynor and Yuán in the main cafeteria as the two women were about halfway through their meal. Phillips told them all she knew about Walsh's and Holden's murders; unfortunately, it wasn't much more than what Traynor had learned from the e-mail she'd received.

"Evidence was made to look as if each of them managed to obtain a knife and cut their own throats," Claudine said. "Only problem is, there were no knives left behind in their cells and the blood spatters on the overhead and walls indicates someone big stood right behind each of them and sliced them open. Nothing on surveillance video, no unusual noises, nothing." Phillips took a pull from her mug and continued with, "Whoever it was, they were quiet _and_ left no trace of their entrance or exit from the cellblock, or the entire compound, for that matter."

Samantha was quiet as she thought about Cerberus and the group's penchant for secrecy and clandestine wet work. "Can I take a look at the 'stills' from your evidence vids…the ones taken before their bodies were removed?"

"Don't know what good that will do, Serviceman, and I cannot show them to you in here, in public…they're classified."

"Has Alliance Command been notified?" Traynor asked.

"Most certainly, Serviceman. And the answer to your next question would also be 'Yes'; Gonzales' family has been notified that her murderer was found dead while in our custody. Certainly not the resolution_ I _had hoped for, as the question of '_why'_ still remains. I sincerely doubt we will _ever_ know their reasoning."

Xiùlán fixed Phillips with a hard stare as she asked, "About the photos, Claudine. Can we meet in a secure conference room, perhaps in your department? It might be helpful to have another pair of eyes, or two, take a look…?"

Claudine thought for a moment, then brightened visibly. "There's a secure conference room up a level and down the passageway. My security credentials can get us in…you two ready to go?

Traynor didn't hesitate. "You even have to ask? Lead the way, Corporal, please."

* * *

As Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz brought the batarian pirate vessel _Black Slayer_ out of the shadow of the planet Patatanlis, he marveled at his good fortune. The salarian freighter he had been waiting for, the ship he had very nearly given up on encountering after 87 days of orbiting the planet, had virtually flown into his lap! Never one to squander such a gift, Ghydgryz had immediately sent the _Slayer_ into the 'shadow', the area of the planet between his own ship and the freighter he coveted.

His pilot increased the ship's velocity while he sent word below decks, ordering his eight toughest men to form a boarding party and standby. Kryllê Ghydgryz intended to take every last bit of freight from his victim and leave no witnesses behind – the freighter would simply become another victim of a navigational error, the manner of its destruction forever hidden by the damage caused in a high speed impact with the rocky planet below.

Coming out of the planet's shadow on the far side, sensors confirmed the freighter was still on its original heading, set to perform a partial orbit in order to discharge the heat from its mass effect core. Ghydgryz guessed the ship's captain would have performed a preliminary sensor sweep of the system, looking for any ships (such as his own) that would be a danger to a defenseless freighter.

"Weapons control!" Ghydgryz barked at the man sitting behind the ships pilot. "Target their engines and environmental systems…I want that vessel disabled, not destroyed! Are…we…clear?" The man flinched at this last question, even as he responded in the affirmative. Their last 'victim' had been hit in a particularly vulnerable portion of their engine controls; the resulting explosion had torn the ship apart and spilled its cargo and crew over a fifty-million cubic kilometer area. Ghydgryz hadn't even been able to recoup the cost of the two ship-to-ship missiles used to take it down.

"Target plotted, Captain. One missile is hot, another on standby," came the word from the weapons officer.

Kryllê acknowledged the report as he continued to watch his sensor readouts. He waited until it was clear the freighter had completed discharging its drive core and was changing course to head for the Mass Relay. While it was in the middle of its turn, Ghydgryz gave the command. "Fire!"

The deck beneath his feet answered his command with the vibration from a missile launch; in less than a minute, it reached its intended target and detonated, destroying the engine pod and ancillary controls. The catalyzed fuel mix being pumped under high pressure to the now destroyed engine ignited into a fireball that quickly burned out as the freighter's computer shut down the turbo-pumps. The freighter began slowly tumbling as it drifted on its interrupted trajectory; halfway through its turn towards the Mass Relay, it was now on a path that would take it well past the ancient machine. As maneuvering thrusters did not possess enough thrust for such a radical course correction, the now powerless ship would continue on into the gas cloud surrounding the Han system. Unfortunately for the _MV Crystal Scarab_, it was about to receive intervention of a hostile kind, as the _Black Slayer_ closed in for the kill.

* * *

Traynor sat beside Claudine and viewed the photos on the corporal's omni-tool; a whispered _sonovabitch_ escaped her as she took a closer look at the way Marianna Walsh's body was lying on the concrete floor of her cell.

Yuán placed a hand on Traynor's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Something you care to share, Sà mǐ?"

Traynor looked first at Xiùlán, then at Phillips, before returning her gaze to the photo being displayed on the omni-tool. "Walsh's body position seems strange to me. She didn't simply fall to the floor when her throat was cut. See this?" She pointed to the rigid posture of her limbs. "She should have collapsed as she died, like a puppet…a marionette…as if her strings had been cut. Walsh is lying in the floor stiff as a board, everything rigid, like she died and fell while standing at attention. Is that possible?"

Yuán took a close look over Claudine's shoulder to see what Sam was talking about, and then added in a contemplative tone, "My guess? Marianna Walsh was under the influence of a stasis field when she was killed…the effects of the field didn't wear off until after she'd fallen to the floor. How…?"

Phillips perked up at this revelation. "…Her assassin was either a biotic or had a mass field generator. I believe you both may be on to something…it would explain the effortless way both were killed! No fighting back, no verbal protests." The corporal entered this information in her omni-tool and stood to leave. "The assassin only needed to be in the same room with them…once they were restrained in a stasis field, slicing their throats would be easy." Directing her gaze first at Traynor, then at Xiùlán, she added, "Thanks for looking at this with me, both of you! I'll forward this additional info on up the chain…maybe it'll help us catch whoever did this." As the trio left the conference room and Phillips secured the entry behind them, she added, "I'll let you know what we find."

* * *

Yuán Xiùlán had been in the 'harsh environment' practice room for over three hours. She was fully armored up, including a breather helmet sealed to her suit. She hated the restrictions imposed by the helmet, but felt she needed to practice for a worst-case assignment. She had set the gravity and atmospheric pressure to twice that of Earth normal; batarian pirates and slavers, part of the sim program Traynor had written and uploaded, randomly popped up from cover and out of simulated buildings, allowing her to practice with her enhanced Serrice Council omni-tool.

Serrice Council had written code that, once downloaded and integrated into her omni-tool, allowed her to quickly have the mini-fabrication unit create a xīlā shǒu lǐ jiàn [希拉手裡劍 - _hira shuriken_] – a Japanese throwing star. She could reset the parameters of the fabricated star, from a six-pointed star to the four-bladed weapon she favored over most all of them. The length of the razor-sharp edge of each blade ensured the target would receive injuries when the star hit. If the spinning star glanced off her intended target, the blades would slice whatever they touched; if her throw was accurate, the leading edge of a single blade would penetrate the target and stick there. In either instance, the fast-acting synthetic neurotoxin imbedded in the white-hot ceramic material would almost instantly induce respiratory paralysis to stifle any screams for help, followed by heart failure in the unfortunate victim.

She had honed her skills with her omni-tool to the point where she virtually only needed to think of what she wanted to do. In this case, with her arm bent at a 45° angle while holding her hand straight out, first two fingers touching her thumb, she merely had to make an overhand throwing motion with a follow-through release of her fingers for the tool to instantly fabricate and launch a shuriken. In this manner, she could throw one every two seconds.

Quite by accident, Xiùlán discovered she could generate and toss a shuriken horizontally. By holding her forearm across her chest, hand folded down towards her body with fingertips pointing to the rear, she could accurately fling a spinning star a much greater distance – the star actually _flew_ aerodynamically, particularly in a thick atmosphere.

Xiùlán had thought a star wouldn't be able to penetrate armor plates; she was thrilled to discover the weapon _would_ penetrate any exposed 'under-armor' skin – those portions of a person's armor that could be seen between the actual plates. Shoulder joints were the most exposed, but a person throwing an arm up to shield their face could be hit in the portion of the forearm not covered by a gauntlet plate. Any of these penetrations would result in a quick death for anyone unfortunate enough to be so targeted.

After four hours of 'killing' computer generated enemies, Xiùlán felt comfortable using this new method of silent death, but knew she would need to continue practicing every chance she could get. After dialing back the environmental controls and deleting Traynor's program, she headed to her quarters. A hot shower followed by lunch with Samantha would give her a chance to talk about their upcoming graduation and short vacation. It would be good to be back on Earth again, even if it _was_ only going to be for a few short weeks.

* * *

Septivus Vulpez knew he only had minutes to act before the freighter on which he was a passenger was boarded by pirates hell-bent on killing the crew and taking every last bit of cargo on board. That he and his archeological treasures were the only cargo on board would probably _not_ be looked on with any pleasure by whomever had attacked the _MV Crystal Scarab_.

He quickly placed the Janiri figurine in a specially padded case and sealed it against the environment. Attaching the case to the sealed container holding Matriarch Dilinaga's texts, he finished attaching the armor plates to his suit, then pulled on his helmet and sealed it. Slinging the carrying strap for the container over his shoulder, he picked up his ERCS Banshee assault rifle, activated its auto-targeting feature and set it to fire three round bursts through its partially silenced muzzle before parking his backup, a Striker X pistol, in the dock at his left hip. Septivus was damned if he was going to be captured or killed by pirates without a fight…he'd spent too many years in the turian military to let himself be easily taken.

Septivus felt the shudder as what he guessed was the attacking ship approached close enough to penetrate the _Scarab's_ kinetic barriers…he estimated he had only a short time to get to the lower reaches of the virtually empty hanger where his personal shuttle was stored. His shuttle _was_ FTL capable, but did not have the range he needed to reach all the systems he wished to explore, which was why he had employed the _Crystal Scarab._ If he could get to his shuttle and launch it without being detected, he felt he could make it to the Mass Relay and return to the Hades Gamma cluster.

Quickly looking around his small living area, Septivus made sure there were no obvious signs of his occupancy before he left and headed down the corridor for the cargo area. The pirates would learn of his presence soon enough once they had the manifests with the records of his payments. Eschewing the main elevator for a crew ladder in an adjacent access tube, he descended to the lower engineering level, which would quickly take him to the main hanger housing the freighter's shuttle and his own personal shuttle.

He heard shouts of anger and fear behind him, followed by the sounds of gunfire. Thinking, '_Spirits! Bastards have already boarded!_' he readied his assault rifle as he paused, his back to the left bulkhead outside the hatch leading into the small hanger. Taking a deep breath as he actuated his personal shield generator, Septivus let it out as he triggered the haptic lock to open the hatch and rolled around towards the opening, allowing his Banshee to lead the way.

He reflexively pulled the trigger, sending three combination shredder/proton rounds into a batarian raising his heavy pistol to answer the threat implied by the opening hatch; Vulpez viciously kicked the pirate in his mid-section, knocking the dying batarian to the deck as he reset his aim and fired again. His second three-round burst literally took the head off the first pirate's buddy as he was attempting to discover why his companion had fallen.

Septivus knew his good fortune wouldn't last forever, so was not surprised when a pair of bullets penetrated his kinetic barrier and buried themselves in the armor covering his left upper arm and shoulder. The inertia spun him around and dropped him to the deck, where he quickly scrambled to his knees; bringing the Banshee up, he blindly pointed it in the general direction of his assailant and began repeatedly pulling the trigger, spraying three-round bursts through the hanger until one found the pirate that had shot him. The batarian screamed an obscenity as he attempted to recover from the impact and bring his pistol back up, allowing Septivus the time he needed to take more careful aim and fire once again; the pirate silently died before his body finished collapsing to the deck.

Septivus looked quickly about as he shifted his assault rifle to his left hand so he could take a quick look at his arm and shoulder. While the rounds hadn't entirely penetrated either ceramic plate, they _had_ transmitted all their inertia to his body. He expected he'd be quite sore for a time; at least he'd be alive to complain about it.

Taking another quick look around the hanger, Vulpez shifted his weapon back to his right hand and set off for his shuttle, parked in a rear corner behind the _Scarab's_ own shuttle. Unfortunately, the batarians had turned a small pack of Varren loose on the ship as soon as they boarded; Septivus found out the hard way just how quiet a Varren could be as he moved past the gap between the two parked shuttles. The creature leaped out at him as he walked past the stern of the _Scarab's_ shuttle, clamping down on his left lower leg with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The turian cursed his ill fortune as he fell towards the attack; the creature let go and yelped in surprise as Vulpez's full weight came down hard on the back of the foul-smelling creature.

Once again, his hard-plates prevented major injuries, but some of the teeth had penetrated his under-armor in a most painful way. With the Varren mindlessly squirming underneath in an attempt to get out from under his former victim, Septivus quickly switched his Banshee to full-auto, placed the muzzle as close to the Varren's head as possible and pulled the trigger.

The Varren's cries of surprise and pain died as quickly as it did, allowing Septivus to roll off to a sitting position on the deck. Shock was making him feel faint and nauseated, and while his blood loss was minimal, he needed a few moments to collect his wits before he could continue. After a liberal application of medigel, he managed to regain his feet and limp to the entry hatch of his shuttle.

His thoughts now on escaping with his life, he failed to notice the small container housing the Janiri figurine was no longer attached to the case containing the Matriarchal texts; he opened the hatch and quickly dropped everything he was carrying in the rear compartment. Septivus eased his injured leg under the control deck as he gingerly sat in the pilot's seat, then closed and sealed the hatch. Feeling a bit safer behind the deeply tinted quartz-glass canopy, he began running an abbreviated pre-flight checklist, initiated the start sequence for the small mass effect core, then brought the environmental pumps and fans online. With everything running, he eased the small ship off the deck, slid it sideways and spun it around to face the hanger door, which had already begun to open. As he applied thrusters to approach the opening he saw nothing but the emptiness of the void outside; the pirates had apparently docked their ship at the forward airlock, above and behind him.

Septivus eased the small ship out of the hanger and past the kinetic barrier; once clear, he turned so his nose was aimed away from the _Crystal Scarab_ in such a way that he kept that ship's belly to his stern. Knowing he not able to outrun the pirate ship if they chose to follow, he added throttle to increase his velocity so he could put as much distance between himself and the stricken freighter as possible, and didn't attempt to alter his course until he was a good 5000 klicks away from his former transport. Cutting his thrusters, he spun the vessel around on its axis so he could take a look behind as momentum continued to propel the tiny vessel on its original course.

Looking at the point in the blackness his sensors told him was the freighter's location, he could see nothing, until a brilliant flash flared then slowly faded as glowing debris streaked away in all directions from the explosion's epicenter, indicating the _Crystal Scarab_ had met its ultimate doom. Septivus flared his mandibles as he thought of the salarian Captain and his crew. Returning his gaze to the dying light, he offered a silent prayer to the Spirits of his ancestors as he plotted and engaged a course for the Mass Relay. There was nothing more to be done for the salarian freighter or its crew, except report the loss to authorities as soon as he could – something he would only attempt to do when he was safely in Citadel space.

* * *

Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz rotated the small figurine in his hands this way and that, admiring the way it reflected the overhead lights. A turian, judging by the blood left behind, had killed three members of his boarding party and a trained Varren as he…or she…escaped from the freighter. The figurine in his hands was the only other thing left behind. Despite being quite hideous in appearance, it _could_ bring a fair number of credits, perhaps even enough to offset the cost of sacking a freighter with absolutely no other cargo aboard, but only _if_ he could sell it to the right buyer. That buyer, if the appearance of the figurine was any indication, would have to be an asari; of primary concern to Ghydgryz however, the buyer would have to be very well off financially.

He returned the ugly carving to its container, noting as he did so the torn fasteners, indicating it had been attached to something heavier. As the _Black Slayer_ headed towards the relay, Kryllê idly looked through his list of contacts, people in the business of trading in ancient relics; one of them would no doubt pay a great deal for the figurine he was holding. He just needed to select the one that would pay the most. Ghydgryz leaned back in his chair and contemplated his coming payday.

* * *

**_A/N: _**_This chapter is somewhat a prologue for the events that will take place on Cartagena Station in the Nemean Abyss…stay tuned!_


	16. Refining Our Skills ‡ Lost & Found

_When a pirate grows rich enough, they make him a prince. – _George R.R. Martin,_ A Clash of Kings_

* * *

_Butterfly Sword:_ [_traditional Chinese:_ 蝴蝶雙刀; _pinyin:_ húdié shuāngdāo] - a short dao, or single-edged sword, usually wielded in pairs. Generally called '_butterfly knives'_ in English (not to be confused with the folding _balisong,_ or _fan knife_, also commonly called a _butterfly knife_.)

_Simulacrum [sim-yə-ˈla-krəm, -ˈlā-]_ – an effigy, image, or representation

* * *

Traynor and Yuán had been practicing for a solid three hours – both were soaked with sweat, hair dripping and clinging to their scalps, wisps of vapor rising from their clothing. Xiùlán was instructing Samantha in the use of the _nángùn_ [南棍] or _southern staff_, a polished, two-meter long white wax wooden staff. Useful in close quarters combat, Xiùlán's purpose in teaching its use to Sam was to enable her to incorporate it into her daily physical exercises. Traynor had started out tentatively mirroring each of Xiùlán's moves; gaining confidence with each passing minute, she was now moving as quickly as her lover.

Xiùlán next faced Sam and taught her how to fend off an attack; moving slowly at first, she kept increasing the speed of her moves, backing Sam around the practice room. For her part, Sam had taken to this new weapon quite readily, instinctively blocking more and more of Xiùlán's attacks; at some point, she went on the offensive and began forcing her teacher back. Traynor was beginning to feel like she was making real progress when it happened – Xiùlán seamlessly went back on the offensive. Rapidly parrying three of Sam's blows, she sharply rapped the knuckles of Sam's left hand on the fourth return, followed by a swift hit to her right; this brought on a howl of pain and a stream of curses as injured digits allowed the staff to clatter to the mat.

"Yeeeoww! Sonovabitch! That hurts like all holy fuckin' 'ell, Yuán!" Sam had her arms across her chest with each hand tucked between opposite upper arms and torso as she jumped and skipped around the floor in a paroxysm of pain. "You broke all my goddamn fingers!"

Xiùlán grinned at her as Sam continued to dance about and curse. "I barely tapped you, Sà mǐ. You probably hurt your knuckles worse when you busted Joesiar's chops for 'im!"

Sam had stopped hopping about long enough to extract her hands from under her arms so she could inspect her knuckles. "Lookit! Bleeding like a ruddy stuck pig, I am!" She grimaced as she flexed her fingers and loudly cried, "Shit! They're all busted, Xiùlán! Look at what you did to me!"

Xiùlán was beginning to doubt her self-assured assessment as she came up to Sam and reached for her hands; she realized her mistake the instant Sam used those hands to grab both edges of her tunic at the middle of her chest and fall backwards while pulling with a strength Xiùlán had clearly forgotten Sam possessed; Traynor continued to pull Yuán with her as she fell backwards, lifting her bare feet to catch Xiùlán at her hips then violently straightening those legs with all the power stored in the corded muscles of her butt, thighs and calves.

Xiùlán was unpleasantly surprised to find herself flying across the room, and even more astonished when she crashed upside down into the far wall; she had just enough presence of mind to raise her arms to partially break her fall as she slid to the floor in an embarrassed heap, much like an asari she herself had once tossed in nearly the same manner.

Groaning in pain, she opened her eyes, only to see the upside-down face of her paramour gazing down at her, the expression on her face a cross between genuine concern and a self-satisfied smirk. "Damn," Sam stated before offering an observation. "That looked like it might have hurt. Sorry about that!"

Sam straightened up and returned to the place on the mat where she had dropped her nángùn. Placing the toes of her left foot under her staff at its center-point, she kicked it up in front of her; catching it with both hands, she proceeded to rapidly rotate it three times – once in front of her chest, around her left to once behind her back then around her right side to finish in front – before placing the end on the floor to her right with a muffled 'thud'. She then kneeled, her butt on the heels of her feet, toes bent upwards so the tips remained on the floor, and waited for Yuán to collect herself.

Xiùlán painfully regained her feet and gingerly drifted around Sam. Retrieving her own nángùn, she moved back in the opposite direction to stand in front of Traynor; after several seconds, Xiùlán dropped to her knees, mirroring Sammy's position in front of her, staff held vertically to her left side, and bowed deeply. "I will have to pray to my revered ancestors for forgiveness, Samantha Traynor," she intoned solemnly, "for I have created a guàiwù [怪物], a monster, all the more dangerous for her shy demeanor… and…" she finished in a whisper, "…her deceptive beauty."

"I am no more dangerous than you, my love – probably much less so, except…" Sam hesitated, her previously snarky expression becoming deadly serious.

Xiùlán cocked her head and softly asked, "Yes…?"

"…_except_… when it comes down to protecting _you_, wǒ de ài [我的愛 – _my love_]. I would lay down my life for you, Xiùlán. Never…," her voice hitched. Swallowing hard, she continued in a firm whisper as a single tear escaped and slid down a brown cheek flushed from three plus hours of intense exercise, "…_never_… doubt that for a moment."

"Then… I will _also_ pray I never need you to prove that, Sà mǐ…," Xiùlán rose slightly, placed her free hand on the mat between Traynor's legs and leaned in towards her until their lips brushed before finishing with a whispered, "…because I cannot conceive of _any_ future for _me_ that does not include _you_." Xiùlán tilted her head as she pressed her lips against Sam's, kissing her in confirmation of the depth of devotion she felt for her.

Sam returned the kiss, even following a bit as Xiùlán drew back. "Since we're both so banged up, why don't we call it a morning?" Sam whispered. "I think a cool shower would feel really good right now. You?"

"I'm with you, qīn'ài de [親愛的 _– darling_]. I'm also going to need some time in the sauna, maybe with a massage afterwards." Xiùlán grimaced as she regained her feet, swiveling her torso back and forth at the hips in an attempt to eradicate the kinks in her back. "I think my entire back is twisted."

"At least your fingers aren't all busted and bleeding, Luv," Sam replied with a smirk, holding out her left hand for inspection.

"Damn! They really _are_ bleeding! Sammy, I am truly sorry I hurt you… come on. Let's get some medigel on those knuckles." Xiùlán grabbed their gear bags with one hand and placed her free arm around Sam's back; with her hand on Sammy's shoulder, Xiùlán pulled her close. "You know, next time we practice, might be a good idea for you to wear your sparring gloves – keep those knuckles protected."

Carrying both staffs, Traynor melted into the strong embrace of her lover and responded quietly as they left the practice room, "Lesson learned, Luv… painfully so."

* * *

WIDOW SYSTEM – CITADEL PRESIDIUM  
2180/07/10

It had taken twelve days for Septivus Vulpez to reach the Citadel from the Han System, where the freighter on which he was a passenger had been attacked by batarian pirates. He considered himself fortunate to have escaped the _Crystal Scarab_ before it was destroyed by an explosion

His personal transport, actually a repurposed, highly modified Kodiak, was a meter wider and half again as long overall as the standard Kodiaks the Alliance Navy used for troop deployments. The downside to the increased size and weight was the required refueling after each relay transit; this slowed his progress through the systems and relays. Slowing him further was the necessity to avoid contact with other vessels until he entered the Widow System – the pirates that had destroyed the _Crystal Scarab _were still out there, most likely in the Hades Gamma cluster.

The turian did not believe his own ship had been seen aboard the _Scarab_; the three pirates he encountered in the hanger had not survived their introduction to _him_, and he had used the freighter's hull as a screen during his escape. Septivus Vulpez had survived this long by never being reckless.

He was on his way to a meeting with asari councilor Raesia Tevos, to whom he would present the contents of the case he was carrying on his shoulder. Septivus had _originally_ set out to recover the Matriarchal writings and artifacts as a profit making venture, but during the course of his travels and discoveries, he had come to the conclusion it would be better to donate everything he recovered to the asari government. He hoped they would offer to reimburse him for his travel expenses, but would not request that of them.

Unfortunately, he would also need to tell Councilor Tevos of what he had _lost_ during his escape… worse, he feared the 2500 to 3000 year old figurine of the asari goddess of seasons, storms, and agriculture, carved from a single piece of now-extinct Thessian Bolan wood and standing approximately 40 Cm high, was now in the possession of the batarian pirates that had destroyed the _Crystal Scarab_. _That_ was his fear, but also his _hope_! If the figurine had not been discovered and retrieved by the batarians _prior_ to the freighter's destruction, it had become part of the debris cloud that was the _Crystal Scarab_.

He sighed heavily as he entered the councilor's reception area. The asari sitting behind the high counter instantly stood to greet him… Septivus could not help but notice she kept her arms to her sides and recognized she was purposely keeping her hands hidden, just in case he turned out to be less than friendly. He stopped half a meter from the counter and carefully placed both hands on the strap in front of his chest.

"Septivus Vulpez," he said. "I have an appointment to speak with the councilor?"

Dalis Shegos tilted her head in polite acknowledgement as she quietly notified Matron Tevos. After a few moments, Dalis returned her gaze to the turian in front of her and said, "Councilor Tevos will see you now, Sir." Indicating an entryway past the end of the counter to her right she continued, "Please, enter through this door."

Septivus flared his mandibles as he nodded and thanked her before moving towards the door, which opened just before he could reach out for the haptic interface. Standing just within was another asari, dressed in the leathers of an elite commando – most likely the councilor's personal body guard.

"Greetings, Sir. I am Huntress Nizia Tenir, and it is my honor to serve as First to Matron Tevos. I apologize, but I must ask you to relinquish your travel case for inspection before I can allow you to approach the councilor."

"_First_? Is that like… a body guard?"

"It _is_ that, and so much more," Nizia replied evenly. "May I examine the case?"

Realizing this asari could (and would!) cut him down in the blink of an eye, he carefully released the strap from the case, then attempted to hand both items to her.

Nizia put both hands up, palms facing him and said, "Please set them on the side table beside you and step back, Sir."

After doing as instructed, he said, "Please be careful with the contents, Huntress Tenir… they are incredibly old." Nizia nodded to him as she cautiously scanned the entire outside of the case for asari specific poisons and any explosive residue, before carefully opening the cover enough to peer into the container. Wrinkling her nose at the stack of musty papers within, she scanned these as well before gingerly reclosing the case. She then finished by scanning the carry-strap for the same dangers.

Apologizing for a second time, she asked him to raise his arms so she could perform a quick search for any weapons he might have hidden on his person. _'Does she really think I would attempt to bring a weapon into this place?'_ he thought as she ran a 'U'–shaped wand over his body, arms and legs from top to bottom; the device trilled as Nizia moved it past the inner jacket pocket carrying his datapad. She wordlessly held out a hand as Septivus slowly and carefully retrieved the device for her inspection. Satisfied this turian was as harmless as he appeared, she allowed him to retrieve the case and datapad and asked him to follow her into the councilor's office.

Walking past a sizable sitting area off to the right, the huntress led him to the back of the room, where a large desk was positioned in front of an enormous window looking out over the Presidium lake. Councilor Tevos rose from her own chair in greeting, offered Septivus a chair and asked if he would care for anything to drink.

"Water will be just fine, please." It was less than a minute before Dalis appeared with a tray bearing a filled pitcher and several medium size glasses; she set the tray on a nearby side table, filled a glass and brought it to their guest.

Septivus thanked Dalis as he accepted the glass, took several sips, then placed it back on the tray and got down to business. "Councilor, I have been on a multi-system quest since the beginning of the year." He carefully set the large carrier flat on her desk. "That quest has now led me to you; I believe you will be pleased with the artifacts I have recovered."

Aware that Nizia was standing within arm's reach behind him, Septivus leaned over the front cover as he released its fasteners and set it aside. "If you would care to inspect these papers, Madam Councilor?" Tevos gasped in amazement as she moved to stand beside her turian visitor; his sub-harmonics suggested amusement as he acknowledged her shock. "I see you recognize what it took me seven months to recover."

Raesia Tevos had seen similar documents in the museums on Thessia, always at a distance, locked behind sheets of clear quartz in a climate controlled display case. She had never been this close to anything so… old, so… historically significant. "Are these…" she looked up at Septivus and accepted the proffered metal pincers. "…original?" As she gently turned the top page over, then lifted the archival paper to expose the next ancient page, a single tear ran down her cheek.

Quickly realizing _all_ the documents in the case were penned by the same author, she quietly commented, "These appear to be some of the notes made by Matriarch Dilinaga during the golden age of exploration." Tevos was incredulous. "Nizia, come, take a look." The huntress quietly moved to stand at the end of the desk to keep from presenting her back to Septivus while she looked in wide-eyed wonder at what this turian had brought to them.

"I was privileged to have seen the Dilinaga exhibit at the Farinah Museum, Councilor." Septivus retook his seat by the desk as Tevos and Huntress Tenir continued to carefully… almost reverently… inspect the contents of the case. "It made an impression on me… I have always been interested in history, particularly ancient history, and upon learning there might be more of the Matriarch's writings lost throughout the galaxy, I _knew_ I had to see what I could do to track them down and retrieve them."

Tevos looked up at her Turian guest, respect shining in her eyes as doubt clouded her expression. "What you have done… what you have brought us is… _priceless_, Sir. The wealth of our entire civilization would not be sufficient recompense for these treasures." Tevos returned to the chair behind her desk as Huntress Tenir carefully restored all the pages and separators to their original order in the travel case. "So, what can we do for _you_, Septivus Vulpez? What do you desire from the asari?"

"I seek no reward or payment for recovering Matriarch Dilinaga's writings, Councilor. I will also give you all the information I have concerning the locations where I found each of the pages and treatises before you… hopefully, your archeologists and historians will then be able to trace Matriarch Dilinaga's travels in _much_ more detail." Activating his omni-tool, he placed all the information gathered about the texts, along with the figurine he had lost, onto an OSD. Removing it from his omni-tool, he leaned forward and placed the small disk on top of the travel case, then said in a quiet voice, the flanging of his tone sounding infinitely dejected. "There is one more thing you need to know."

Once again retrieving the datapad from his jacket pocket, he explained as he activated the device, "The particulars of what I am going to show you are also included on that OSD." Setting the datapad to display all the information and still photos of the Janiri figurine he had lost during his escape from the _Crystal Scarab_, he continued, "I had this in my hands, Madam Councilor. Probably one of the most important discoveries of the past ten centuries…," he brought up his hands for emphasis, "…and I actually held it in my hands." Septivus handed the datapad to Tevos and hung his head as he thought about what he had lost. "I am _so_ sorry. It was… _is_… absolutely _magnificent_ and it literally slipped through my hands, probably during my fight with one of their trained Varren. I didn't notice it was gone until I was refueling in the Hades Gamma Cluster."

Tevos swallowed hard as she studied the still images and explanations Septivus had provided. "_Goddess_… it does not seem possible such a thing still exists. Its value would exceed that of all of the texts you have presented to us today. It appears from these photos to be in excellent condition." Tevos ran out of words.

"It _was_ rumored to have been carved from a solid piece of Thessian metamorphic rock in the one copy of the treatises that mentioned it; it would have stood no more than 50 centimeters high, Madam Councilor. _This_ one was carved from the wood of a Bolan tree, and is quite possibly the only one of its kind in existence. I believe the figurine survives and is most likely about to be sold by the batarian captain of the pirate vessel that attacked us."

Septivus hung his head at the thought. "He had three of his crew stationed in the freighter's hanger, and would have sent someone to retrieve them before destroying the ship. They most assuredly would have retrieved it, and they no doubt suspect a turian killed their three crewmates, just from the blood I left behind." Septivus' leg was still itching from the varren bites he'd suffered. "I expect he will be lining up sales brokers, the well-heeled, those that can afford to pay for such an object."

"This object is _priceless_! Who could afford to pay for such?" Tevos asked rhetorically.

Septivus flared his mandibles, a tone of regret sounding in his sub-harmonics. "Priceless to _you_, Councilor… _and_ to me. That batarian will never have to work another day in his life, and the figurine… an object that rightfully belongs to the asari people at the very least, if not to the people of the galaxy, will be lost to us forever, secreted away in some private collection." Septivus fell silent for a few moments, the enormity of the loss, _his_ failure_,_ weighing as heavily on him as if he was a citizen of Thessia.

Tevos handed the datapad to Nizia so she too could see what had been lost to the batarians. "I don't know what to say. To see images of this object, to meet the person that recovered it… is all a bit overwhelming. Do you have the time and date… and the location… of the attack on your freighter?"

Septivus looked up and quickly responded, "_That_ information is also on the OSD, Madam Councilor."

"Then it may be possible to extrapolate the destination… the ports of call… of that pirate ship after the date of the attack. Your freighter… totally destroyed?"

"I witnessed the explosion from a safe distance… virtually nothing left but dust."

"Then your quest has come to an end, has it not? What will you do now, Septivus Vulpez?"

The turian chuckled as he answered. "I'm not really sure. I had not expected my quest to end so abruptly… or violently. I still have enough credits to travel to Sur'Kesh… I need to inform the Salarian shipping consortium of the _Crystal Scarab's_ loss_._ Captain Uzor Saelon and his crew were good people… their families need to know what happened to them. After that, I'll probably return to Palaven. Not sure what I will do once I return." Septivus flared his mandibles as he shrugged his shoulders, a human expression of uncertainty he'd picked up while working with a young lieutenant in the Alliance Navy.

Tevos looked intently at the turian for several seconds before standing and placing her hands on her desk. "I presume that, since you have all the facts concerning your travels on this OSD, you have also entered the amounts you had to pay for passage aboard the salarian freighter, as well as all your expenses for fuel and food?"

Septivus was a bit embarrassed by the councilor's directness, but returned her gaze and nodded as he simply responded, "Yes, I did."

"Then I believe the asari ruling council will not object to me reimbursing you for your travel expenses." Placing a hand on the case containing the treasures from an age long past, she added, "It's the least we can do for you, considering your brush with death at the hands of those pirates."

Tevos returned to her chair and looked at the turian for several moments… long enough for Septivus to start getting fidgety under her direct scrutiny. "You say you are unsure of what you will do after you return to Palaven?" she asked. "Perhaps you should consider traveling to Thessia instead."

"To what purpose, Madam Councilor?"

"If you wish it of me, I will provide you with a letter of introduction to the Thessia Guildhall, in which I will request support for you to lead a new expedition." Waving her hand at the case, she added, "You obviously have the skills… and your results certainly cannot be denied."

Septivus almost could not believe his good fortune! "That would be most kind of you, Madam Councilor. It would be nice to have the opportunity to finish what I started."

"Then you will have a copy by tomorrow morning," Tevos replied as she retrieved the OSD from atop the case. She then handed the case to the huntress and said, "Place that in our most secure storage area, Nizia. We'll have the next diplomatic shuttle take it to the home world. Meanwhile," she paused and looked at Septivus again. "I will save you the time and fuel it would cost you to travel to Sur'Kesh. As the salarian councilor's office is just down the passageway, I will inform Councilor Valern of the loss of the _Crystal Scarab_ and its crew, but…" the asari paused for a moment, then added "…I am sure Valern will want details about the attack. Your association with that freighter _will_ have to be made known, particularly since you survived the encounter."

Nizia ventured to speak, saying in a low voice, "Knowing Councilor Valern, he will be most suspicious about this, Madam Councilor. You informing him of the loss of that freighter will make it difficult to guide his thinking away from the belief that the asari employed this turian to search for ancient artifacts."

"So what if our people _did_ employ him for this quest, Nizia?" Tevos asked. "It's not as if _we_ hired the pirates that destroyed that freighter."

"In point of fact, Madam Councilor," Septivus interrupted apologetically, "I recovered a League of One medallion from a long dead merc on Nonuel, in the Hades Gamma Cluster. I had planned to turn it over to the salarian antiquities minister when I reached Sur'Kesh."

"No possible good could come from you traveling to Sur'Kesh at this time, Septivus Vulpez." Tevos replied quietly. "The salarians would most certainly imprison you until your lack of involvement in the loss of that ship could be independently corroborated. Better you remain on the Citadel for now until we can speak with Valern."

Placing the OSD in the reader on her desk, she scrolled rapidly through the information until she came to the expense listing for the turian's expedition. "I will see to the transfer of credits to your account within a day, Septivus." She looked at the chrono display on her terminal. Activating her omni-tool, she made several entries, resulting in Septivus' omni-tool self-activating. "It is growing late. I have transferred enough credits for you to stay at a hotel that caters to turians, particularly their specialized diets, here on the Presidium. My aide will contact you in the morning concerning the time and place for our meeting with Councilor Valern… you may present the League of One medallion to him at that time."

"That is all _most_ kind of you, Madam Councilor." Septivus stood to leave. "It has been a pleasure visiting with you today." He bowed, then nodded to Nizia, who responded as he left, "Goddess go with you, Septivus Vulpez."

* * *

ALLIANCE SPEC OPS TRAINING FACILITY – MARS  
COMBAT TRAINING SIMULATOR

Samantha Traynor had been learning the techniques required to master the use of a liǔyè dāo – literally, a willow leaf sabre – for close combat. The sword Xiùlán had loaned her had a continuously curved, razor sharp blade with a sharpened back edge about a third of its 38-centimeter length; the hilt was canted, that is, slightly curved in the opposite direction of the blade – this improved handling of the sword in some forms of cuts and thrusts, and made it easier to reverse her grip in order to use the blade for slashing. Her opponents were computer generated simulacrums, combinations of the worst traits of human and batarian enemies, so ugly they even hurt one's eyes.

She had amassed six confirmed kills as she hacked her way through a simulated jungle environment. The temperature and humidity were set quite high to add to the discomfort level of the students using the facility; the enemies' intelligence level was set high for the same reason.

Her goal was simple – survival. Traynor had to make it through the hundred meter by 75 meter exercise _yard_, filled with massive trees, bushes, muddy creeks and saw-edged grasses, while dodging or engaging simulated enemies. She had moved perhaps ten meters from her last kill when she heard it – the sound of tree bark being rubbed by an object clad in armor. She instantly crouched and used her right hand to firmly grip the curved hilt of her dāo, protruding up past her right shoulder from the scabbard strapped to her back. Remaining crouched, she silently spun about in place, secure in the tall grass surrounding her. Facing back the way the sound had come from, she held her breath and waited.

The computer generated enemy soldiers were moving quietly, much more so than an organic enemy would have been able to achieve. She continued to wait until the first of the three stopped less than a meter from her position. As the simulacrum started towards her, she leapt straight up from her crouched position, screaming at the top of her lungs as she swiftly pulled the saber from its scabbard and swung it in a right-to-left downwards arc in front of her. She felt the simulator generated resistance to her sword that confirmed she had 'killed' her seventh enemy by virtually slicing it in half.

The instant her feet touched the ground she leapt backwards, performing a back-flip to gain a bit of distance from the two other simulacrums now rushing her. Using her left hand, she pulled a modern húdié dāo [蝴蝶刀– _butterfly sword (knife in English)_] from its calf-mounted sheath and used an uppercut thrust to partially bury the 5mm thick, 24 Cm blade in the middle of the enemy on her left. The simulacrum on her right raised a pistol towards her – as she yanked the short sword free of the enemy on her left, she crouched, spun around to the right and sliced through the gun-wielder's forearm with an uppercut from her sabre; this sent its forearm flying, along with the gun held by the now nerveless hand. Reversing her grip on the sword as she continued her rotation, she used the now rear-facing blade, held at an angle beside her forearm, to partially decapitate the newly one-armed simulacrum. As it began to fall the computer program dissolved its form, chalking up confirmed kill number eight.

The victim with the stab wound was attempting to regain its feet as she turned back to face it; once again reversing her grip on the sword, she whipped the blade around from behind her right side with enough speed to generate a whistling sound in the hot, humid air, removing the simulacrum's head to chalk up kill number nine. An alarm sounded, signaling the end of this training round.

Electing to carry her weapons, she started for the exit; less than two meters from the hatch, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise to full attention. Instantly motionless, she listened intently and was rewarded by the faint rustle of clothing behind and to her left. Activating her kinetic shield, she silently turned and waited.

Sam was surprised to find Yuán decloaking as she carefully walked towards her. "That was nicely done, Xiùlán… I almost didn't hear you. You keeping an eye on me?"

"In a manner of speaking. Instructors had a drone overhead, recording everything. Looks like you have become one with those weapons, darling. Remind me not to sneak up on you when you have that húdié dāo strapped to your calf. Oh, you _do_ know I'll need to train you to use two of them together, right? Where's the other one?"

Sam returned her sabre to the scabbard on her back as she answered, "I didn't bring it, Luv… I wanted a longer blade in my right hand." She crouched and returned her long knife – considered a short sword in Xiùlán's native China – to the sheath strapped to her calf. "So, I'm done for the day, right?" Traynor asked. "I could really use a shower and some food."

"Get cleaned up," Xiùlán replied. "We'll have a light lunch, study a bit, then I'll work with you on your technique using the shuāng dāo." [雙 刀 _– double knife_]

* * *

OMEGA NEBULA • SAHRABARIK SYSTEM  
OMEGA STATION

Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz walked warily through the dimly lit freight tunnel connecting the small hanger to the alleyway – one of many crisscrossing this level of the station – between a small business district and a warehouse and shipping area; it was the edge of the business district to which the batarian pirate was heading.

Activating the locator on his omni-tool, he turned towards his left in order to follow the direction indicator, where he expected to meet a broker or a potential buyer for the small figurine found on the hanger deck of the _MV Crystal Scarab_ just before the ship was involved in a horrific _accident_.

Ghydgryz had not brought the figurine with him, nor was it on the shuttle he had left in the hanger. He had a copy of a vid on an OSD that showed every detail of the horrid-looking thing as he held it for display to prove he had possession of it; in this way he felt he'd be able to leave the meeting under his own power, rather than feet-first on an anti-grav cart. His first meeting would be with a mid-level member of the mercenary Eclipse gang. If he couldn't make a deal with the Eclipse, he would probably move on to the Blue Suns.

He stopped in front of a dilapidated looking saloon in response to a trill from his omni-tool. The place appeared to literally be falling apart… even the name over the door had faded to the point it was undecipherable. Glancing quickly about, he cautiously entered and paused just inside the doorway to allow his eyes time to adjust to the dimly lit interior. Patrons sat in the shadows around the room, keeping their faces hidden as they glanced at the newcomer before quickly looking away.

Making up his mind, he slowly ambled over towards an empty table on his left and took a seat with his back towards the bar. He hadn't seen anyone here that appeared to belong to Eclipse, so he ordered a drink and settled back to wait.

Two turians came into the seedy bar while he nursed his drink. He was just about to order a second one when a hand reached over his shoulder to place a glass full of green liquid on the table. Attempting to cover his surprise at being so oblivious to a possible attack from behind, he shoved the glass to the other side of the small table as he looked around and up at the person standing there.

"Evening… name's Ugrolya Rarfenak. You here to meet somebody?"

Ghydgryz answered as the batarian came around in front of him, "Am I that obvious?"

"Not really," Ugrolya replied. Motioning to the chair, he asked, "May I?"

"Sure. May as well be comfortable while you…" Ghydgryz indicated the glass of green liquid, "…enjoy your drink."

Rarfenak eased his body down on the chair, picked up the glass and took a sip. "Wouldn't want you to think I was trying to poison you. What'd you say your name was?"

"Didn't say… I'd prefer to remain anonymous, if you don't mind. You Eclipse?"

"Keep your voice down! Not a lot of friendly people in this dump." Ugrolya turned the glass up, gulping the rest of the green liquid straight down. "Shit's so watered down, can't even tell what kind of booze it's supposed to be," Ugrolya complained. "Anyway, word is you have an ancient artifact for sale. Questions are, how ancient, and how much?"

Ghydgryz pulled out his datapad, set it to loop the vid of him standing beside an advertising display showing a date/time chrono as he held the figurine and handed it to Rarfenak. "Ugly thing. Supposed to be Janiri, asari goddess of seasons, storms, and agriculture. Estimated age is 20 centuries or so. How much? Find the right collector, you can name your price. I'm not a collector. I need sixty-five million, deposited in my account, verified by my banker before I give you the the access card and location of the strongbox where I stashed it."

Ugrolya glanced at Kryllê then returned his attention to the datapad. "Ugly is right! What makes you think this thing is even worth sixty-five creds, much less sixty-five million?"

"Figurine was found on Mavigon in Gemini Sigma. Made from Bolan wood - a single piece. Tree is extinct… hasn't been seen anywhere in the known galaxy for centuries. I've done some research into ancient asari history. That figurine is in perfect condition, as if it had just been carved yesterday, and there simply isn't any of that wood available anywhere, even as scraps."

Rarfenak raised his empty glass and wiggled it at the young batarian waitress; she approached them and smiled as she picked up the empty glass and wiped the table. "Can I bring you another Batarian ale, sir?"

"Only if you have some that hasn't been cut, sweetheart," Ugrolya responded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I like to actually taste the alcohol I'm paying for."

The smile on the waitress's face vanished. "I don't… I'm not sure, that is…"

Ugrolya cut off her stammering reply. "Listen, doll, There must be a barrel behind the bar containing your main supply… the stuff delivered by your broker? Simply draw a glass from _that_ barrel instead of the tap at the bar that mixes in whatever the owner is using to cut the ale." Ugrolya held up a fifty-credit chit. "This is for you, _if_ I can get a glass of uncut ale. Okay?" Drawing his hand back as she reached for the chit like a greedy child, he added, "Soon as I taste what's in the glass you bring me… not before."

She frowned as she turned and returned to the bar.

Kryllê followed her with his eyes as he observed, "Not going to win you any points. You'll be fortunate if she doesn't piss in it just to spite you."

"Wouldn't be the first time… probably won't be the last," he said in a contemplative voice. "If it's cold and has the right amount of alcohol in it, there won't be enough piss in it to make a difference."

Ugrolya looked at the datapad one last time before handing it back to Kryllê. "No promises. Give me two days to shop this around. You have stills without your face?"

Ghydgryz put the datapad away and activated his omni-tool; after making several entries, the tool produced an OSD. "Just the figurine, same chronometer showing date and time," Ghydgryz said as he handed the OSD to Ugrolya. "Price isn't negotiable. I took a huge loss my last trip out, Rarfenak. Oh, and your fee? Add it to the asking price… I get sixty-five, regardless of what you get for brokering this deal."

Standing to leave, he added, "Contact information is on the OSD. If I don't hear from you in three days, I'm back to Harsa." He turned and walked out of the bar, failing to notice the resentful gaze of the waitress bringing Ugrolya's glass of ale.

* * *

_**A/N:** Thanks to** Desert Sunrise** for allowing me to use the names and 'positions' of Councilor Tevos office companions, Huntress Nizia Tenir and office assistant Dalis Shegos. Although people in each galaxy are distinct individuals, particularly the OC's, there are times when parts of my galaxy intersect with parts of DS's galaxy — such is the case with the asari councilor's office on the Citadel. **Desert Sunrise** has written extensively about the asari people, making it an easy choice to utilize people already imagined by another. _


	17. Betrayal of Trust

_There is no such thing as unlimited trust. At some point, all beings with free will can, and will, betray you when you're no longer pursuing the same goals. _– Rachel Caine,_ Unknown_

* * *

_Ai'a me _– a trusted friend and unquestioned ally (Thessian)

_GST –_ Galactic Standard Time

_NDA –_ Non-disclosure Agreement

_n'Tuj raugh – _Hell (Batarian)

_Stropharia_ – manure (Batarian)

* * *

K'ath Din'sari had the good sense to keep her thoughts to herself as she stalked away from the table where Ugrolya Rarfenak was talking with a dark, surly looking greenish-brown unknown with pale yellowish stripes along his crest. Rarfenak was an arrogant sack of stropharia; he had all but accused her of _personally_ watering down his glass of Batarian ale, then used the promise of a fifty-credit chit to_ order_ her back to the bar to draw down an uncut glass of the beverage. The more she thought of it, the angrier she became.

Din'sari had left Khar'shan less than eight months ago, hoping to make enough money on Omega to further her education in cryogenic preservation; she had been disappointed at the lack of available employment for batarian females on the station… well, dignified employment… good paying jobs that _didn't_ involve lying on one's back or crouching on the edge of a bed in a small room somewhere in the bowels of the habitat section, ass in the air, arms supporting upper body while some smelly half-drunk male used her to satisfy his primitive urges.

She glowered at the pair as she stepped behind the bar; placing the empty glass in the washer, K'ath pulled a clean one from the overhead rack and set it under the spigot to the right of the one used for the majority of the bar's patrons. Pulling the tap towards her, she filled the glass with straight, uncut Batarian ale. Before the foamy head overflowed the edge of the glass, she dropped a few tiny crystals in the liquid, where they instantly dissolved as she brought the head of foam to the edge of the glass. A perfect pour… bastard would never know what hit him.

With her smile (insincere though it might be) firmly in place, she carried the glass full of ale to the table, glaring at the unknown male as she passed him. _'Too bad he didn't stay… I might have been able to toss him as well'_ she thought as she set the full glass on the table in front of Rarfenak.

Ugrolya grinned up at her as he immediately hoisted the glass and took a long pull of the frothy green ale. "Excellent!" He handed the fifty-credit chit to K'ath as he took another swig from the glass. Placing a ten-credit chit at the edge of the table, he said, "Please, bring me another glass drawn from the same tap."

"Of course, Sir. Right away." K'ath grabbed the credit chit and headed back to the bar. _'This is going to be easier than I thought.'_

* * *

WIDOW SYSTEM – CITADEL PRESIDIUM  
2180 / 07 / 12

Raesia Tevos, closely followed by Huntress Nizia Tenir and accompanied by Septivus Vulpez, strolled through the wide halls of the council section of the Presidium, each silent as they thought about their just concluded meeting with Salarian Councilor Valern.

Attempting to look at the positives from their meeting, Tevos answered quietly, "At least he expressed gratitude for the recovery of the League of One medallion, Septivus."

"He as much as accused the asari of having something to do with the destruction of the _Crystal Scarab_ and its crew, Mistress." Nizia took no satisfaction in having correctly predicted Valern's suspicious nature concerning the survival of Septivus _after_ the freighter's destruction.

Tevos scoffed as she replied over her shoulder, "I don't think having Septivus with us either helped or hurt us when we told Valern and his staff about that freighter. The Salarians were operating in a region notorious for the number of people committing acts of piracy." Tevos sighed as they reached the guarded rear entrance to their chambers. "We relayed the truth, and offered our assistance in hunting down those responsible. Valern believes their STG will be just a capable, so our part in all of this is done, except…" Tevos paused as she looked at Septivus, "… for an introductory letter for our guest to present to the Thessia Guildhall, and instigating our own search for the figurine that went missing."

At the mention of the figurine, Septivus hung his head for a moment before looking up at the asari councilor. "It's very likely it will remain in the Terminus, Madam Councilor, at least until it can be sold. I suspect the Blue Suns will acquire possession of it first, after which they'll try to move it… make a profit on it. After that…," he shrugged his shoulders as his sub-harmonics took on a frigid tone, "…there is really no way to predict which of many paths it will travel. There are a lot of well-heeled antiquities collectors out there; most do not mind if some of their collection comes from sources that are, shall we say… questionable."

Tevos thought about this as she moved to sit behind her desk. "If it reaches Illium… someone will be waiting there to intercept it," she declared. Looking up at Septivus, she smiled as she said, "With the information you've made available to us, we'll find that figurine, Septivus. Thank you."

* * *

OMEGA STATION – UNNAMED BAR, LOWER LEVELS

K'ath Din'sari had successfully spiked two glasses of Ugrolya Rarfenak's uncut batarian ale, and the difference in his attitude had really started to show. He had actually come over to the bar in order to talk to her. There were a few other people sitting about, but none so close she did not feel relatively safe in speaking with him, using the power of the alcohol reinforced drug to coax information from him.

It turned out he needed to broker a deal for a rare piece of asari art; he had two days in which to find a buyer willing to pay the asking price plus sales commission for the figurine Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz – the surly looking greenish-brown unknown that had been talking to Rarfenak – was offering to sell.

That something so small, not to mention unsightly, could be so highly valued… apparently, Rarfenak felt he had a number of buyers already interested in the piece. Din'sari didn't know anyone _that_ well-heeled, but she _did_ know a member of the Blue Suns that would pay her handsomely for information concerning the location of the dropbox where the figurine was currently stashed.

Ugrolya's head was buzzing, both from the alcohol in the ale (which he expected) and the crystalline additive K'ath had been surreptitiously adding to each glass (about which Ugrolya knew nothing). The drug would metabolize in the unfortunate batarian's system and leave no trace of its presence; while he was under its influence, Rarfenak would willingly sell his mother into bondage if he was asked to do so. K'ath needed to be careful not to overdo it – too much would render him unconscious.

The longer Rarfenak sat at the bar drinking ale, the more he liked this female. She was cute, and her provocatively cut, figure hugging clothing allowed him to see tantalizing glimpses of her body… the more he stared at her, the more captivated he became. That she was using this to obtain information he would not be inclined to otherwise reveal failed to register on his befuddled brain.

"I know a fellow that might be interested in obtaining such a relic," she purred while using her fingers to stroke the back of the thoroughly intoxicated Rarfenak's hand. "I can have him meet you here, or somewhere close by." She put on her most beguiling smile as she wiped the surface of the bar with a damp towel.

He agreed to meet with her potential buyer near the club called Spirit World the next day. Handing her an ID chip to give to the buyer, he stood up, clumsily pushed back from the bar, said good night and made his unsteady way out the door.

K'ath looked at the ID chip before tucking it into a pocket inside her skirt. Glancing at the chrono over the door, she mentally noted it was almost closing time as an automated voice announcing _'Last Call'_ sounded over the comm speakers in the ceiling.

* * *

ALLIANCE SPEC OPS TRAINING FACILITY – MARS  
2180 / 07 / 31

Xiùlán entered the quarters she shared with Samantha Traynor and immediately went to her desktop terminal as she shouted Traynor's name. "Sà mǐ!"

A distant "…coming…," could be heard from their sleeping and bathing area. In a few moments Samantha came out into their living area and walked up to Xiùlán, where she planted a loving kiss on her partner's cheek. "What's happening, Luv?"

Xiùlán glanced up at Sam, unhappiness evident in her expressive brown eyes as she brought up her extranet connection. "The program, Sà mǐ… it's being terminated!"

Traynor felt her gut clench into a knot. "Terminated? Why in 'ell would they do that?"

"It'll be easier if you just read this… it's an internal memo to regional commanders… something I was only able to discover because of the training I've received here." Xiùlán turned her view-screen towards her lover and waited as Traynor began to read half-aloud…

_'__The 'O' vocational code in the Systems Alliance military will be discontinued as of midnight 2180/12/31, GST. The 'O' designates covert operations, with proficiency levels of '1' through '7'. The goal of the O7 Program, begun shortly after the Skyllian Blitz, was to train teams of highly loyal commandos and operatives. Unfortunately, the heavy psychological training and conditioning to which the O7s were subjected often led to mild xenophobia, particularly towards batarians.'_

Traynor frowned as she paused to glance at Xiùlán, who chose not to comment as Traynor returned her attention to the announcement._ 'The O7 program's first major combat operation was the Battle of Torfan, where O7 commandos committed some of the most brutal actions of the conflict.'_

"Well, isn't _that_ just a bunch of utter bullshit!?" Traynor declared. "N7 soldiers were every bit as brutal! Who was that lieutenant, Xiùlán?… the one in trouble for killing all those batarians? Shepard? Yeah, Lieutenant Shepard! Seems to me the batarians wanted her head on a pike and her ass burned at the stake! She's an _N_7! How'd the Alliance get all _that_ crap to disappear?"

Xiùlán shook her head slightly as she encouraged, "Read on, Sà mǐ… it gets even better."

Traynor returned her attention to the screen. "Okay, where was I…?" _'commandos… brutal actions…' _"Okay, here,"_ 'Since Torfan, the Alliance has been attempting to bury the project. Most of the O7s have since left the Alliance with a significant number joining the human supremacist organization Cerberus.'_

"What the bloody '_ell_, Luv?! _Our_ people, Alliance trained and conditioned… _leaving_? Joining up with goddamned _Cerberus_? How can that be happening? How many? Does anyone know?"

"There are no hard and fast numbers, Sà mǐ. And this announcement doesn't admit to it, but I'd bet a month's pay the Blue Suns are benefiting from these defections as well."

Sam thought for a moment before replying. "Bet that's where Joesiar ended up … I seriously doubt he'd fit in with Cerberus."

"You see the problem, Sà mǐ? We'll just be through the program middle of next month," Xiùlán said in a weary voice. "We'll get our promotions, our certifications, maybe do a few missions… then we'll be done! Alliance will close down the program, and I guarantee we'll all be forced to sign NDA's before they ship us off to wherever." Leaning back in her chair, she used the thumb and fingers of her right hand to massage her temples.

Samantha was quiet for several minutes as the reality of the news sank in. "You'll be assigned to a warship," she said sadly. "I'll probably wind up on the ground or at Arcturus. We'll get split up, Luv." Sam looked around her and lifted her hands to shoulder level to indicate their quarters. "Once that happens…," her voice hitched as a tear slid unbidden down her cheek, "…we'll hardly ever see each other."

Xiùlán rose from her chair and embraced her companion. "Sà mǐ, it does not matter." She applied a kiss to the bridge of Traynor's nose. "This program is the reason we are even together. Our love is a by-product of this. And look at what you have learned here. And I have learned _so_ much, especially from you! We've each been good for the other, and I cannot imagine how lonely I would be or how alone I would feel if I had not met you! Do not worry, Sà mǐ. We'll get through this, and we'll do it together."

Traynor melted into Xiùlán's arms and hugged her tight. "I'm always amazed at how you can remain so calm, even in the face of bad news." She pulled back a bit so she could plant a kiss on Xiùlán's lips. "Just another part of the adventure our lives have become, right? So, what kind of ship do you want to be assigned to… frigate?… corvette?"

"Haven't thought that far ahead, darling," Xiùlán smiled. "I just want to finish up here, see what happens next. You? Where would you like to be assigned?"

Samantha thought for a moment before answering quietly, "Vancouver Naval Yard. It's where some of the really cutting edge research is taking place. It'd be a good place for me to make a real difference in communications technology."

"Then let's get out of here… go get some dinner. I have to study for my finals, as do you. We need to be better than the best if we're going to graduate with a high enough score to receive a good recommendation."

* * *

ALLIANCE SPEC OPS TRAINING FACILITY – MARS  
2180 / 08 / 03

Yuán Xiùlán was beginning her final exam – a covert exercise under the watchful eyes of Asari Huntress Aglyna T'Sega. Xiùlán silently advanced through the brush and low trees of a simulated environment designed to look and feel like a semi-arid plateau on a high gravity planet, with low humidity and relatively high daytime temperatures. In addition to evaluating Yuán's readiness for actual real-world operations, T'Sega was accompanying Xiùlán in this exercise; it had been designed to foster cooperation between the human operative and asari huntress, a goal that had been explained as occasionally necessary in the field. As Xiùlán had already become friendly with Aglyna, all that was left was for them to quickly finish the task at hand – infiltrate an 'enemy' compound and extract a political 'prisoner'.

The defenses were real enough: VI-controlled turrets would target and shoot them with non-lethal rounds; there were a number of booby traps placed at random in the main path towards their objective, and a few Marines were patrolling the area. Xiùlán's training officer had taken _great_ pains to explain to her that seriously injuring or killing anyone was _not_ an acceptable outcome for this exercise. She was free to render them unconscious as long as she didn't cause permanent physical injuries… using a modified 'sleeper' hold was acceptable; slicing them in two with an omni-blade was not.

Unfortunately for them both, no such constraints had been placed on the Marines, leaving both infiltrators at a slight disadvantage in an unarmed hand-to-hand fight. The best Aglyna could do was envelope them both in a biotic shield that would deflect weapons fire or physical assault from outside for a number of seconds; the downside was neither of them could safely move beyond the shield's influence while it was active, and Xiùlán would be unable to fire her weapons for the shield's duration. During pre-mission planning, they had discussed this and decided that Xiùlán would target the most immediate threat before the shield dissipated; it would appear to shimmer from within as it thinned and disappeared, allowing Xiùlán to either fire the instant her shot would be effective or charge her opponent and take him or her down physically. In the meantime, Aglyna would cover her partner's six while she was so engaged.

Additionally, everyone's training weapons were equipped with micro-computers that could sense whether the targeted object was organic or not; an organic target would cause an instant modification of the weapon, significantly lowering the velocity of the round while preventing the weapon from firing at anything not protected by ceramic armor. Attempted headshots that would have been lethal under actual conditions would be recorded in the weapon's computer memory, even though the weapon would not fire the shot.

Xiùlán remembered just how much a non-lethal round could hurt after taking a rifle bullet in her breastplate during a moon base exercise her first few weeks in the program. She didn't intend to let that happen on this exercise.

They had the building's entrance in sight, where two Marines were standing guard, each about 2-meters to either side of the hatch; neither appeared to be aware of Yuán's approach, which probably meant the other Marines were patrolling the vicinity. Xiùlán had no trouble spotting the booby traps laid to hinder their progress – most were small charges buried in the soil with combination motion and proximity detectors for triggers.

As she and Aglyna were well-hidden in the sparse brush and tree-like shrubs, Xiùlán chose a trap on the far side of the building; activating her Omni-tool, she hacked the detector to detonate the charge ten seconds after being released from standby mode. She picked out three others, one more near her first choice and two on the far opposite side of the building entrance; using progressively shorter delay times for each, the timing of each explosion when they detonated would hopefully simulate _someone_ or _something_ progressively disturbing the detectors.

She hacked each of the three detectors in the immediate path to the entrance, setting them to go off progressively at half-second intervals. Looking at Aglyna, she smiled and winked as she said into her comm, _"Here we go…"_

They activated their cloaks as they rose and began trotting towards the entrance. Xiùlán had a haptic 'hammer switch' in her right hand – a near invisible extension of her omni-tool; punching the 'switch' released the traps from standby, causing the ones at the rear of the building to explode in her chosen sequence. The explosions did little more than stir up a great cloud of dust, which would reveal the presence of the intruders if they walked into it; they also drew the attention of the two Marines that had remained hidden while patrolling the downhill parameters on each side. Xiùlán paused just long enough to aim and fire one round to the left as Aglyna fired to the right; each of them scored a direct hit in the chest plates of their respective targets. Additionally, Xiùlán had pulled her trigger while targeting the Marine's helmet. The gun had not fired, as designed, and Xiùlán had instantly corrected and targeted the man's chest. She was credited with a _kill_ for the head shot and a 'down and out' for the chest shot.

Xiùlán swapped her rifle for her shotgun as the pair continued their run for the main entrance; the two Marines were moving towards their downed buddies when Xiùlán triggered the rest of the hacked traps, now behind their position near the entrance hatch. The clouds of smoke and dust drew the attention of the other Marines, who immediately turned and ran towards the dust clouds.

By this time, Xiùlán and Aglyna had reached the front of the building; crouching on one side of the entrance, Aglyna raised her rifle and quickly took out the pair of Marines to their right, then quickly resighted and downed the two on her left. While Aglyna was defending their position and watching Xiùlán's back, the human was employing her hard-learned knowledge to hack into the complex haptic lock keeping them out of the building.

'_Gotcha'_, Xiùlán thought jubilantly as the device changed colors from red to amber to green. With a whispered "Let's go, Aglyna," Xiùlán readied her shotgun, rose into a semi-crouch and opened the hatch; leading with her shoulder, she virtually leapt into the entryway, encountering a pair of mechs. As they both raised assault rifles, one of the pair announced, "_HALT THIS ILLEGAL ACTION OR BE TERMINATED!_"

As the human and asari were under no restrictions concerning mechs, Xiùlán's answer was to target the mech on her right as T'Sega hit them both with an overload. Xiùlán's shot took the head off the mech on her right; T'Sega followed up her overload with a warp aimed at the mech on the left. The biotic attack induced a violent vibration throughout the mech's structure, causing it to explode within seconds… Aglyna's barrier prevented the flying debris from reaching either of them.

Xiùlán remained in a semi-crouch as she left the entryway and led them into a small, windowless room. Their objective was in the center of the room, seated in a chair. There was a black hood over the person's head, their arms were bound to the arms of the chair and their legs were similarly bound to the chair's front legs.

Xiùlán made a 'vee' with two fingers on her right hand, pointed at her eyes, then pointed at the prisoner. T'Sega nodded understanding and began moving cautiously around to the back of the prisoner's chair as Xiùlán carefully investigated the rest of the room. Coming to locked door, she used her omni-tool to hack the lock – this done, she looked at Aglyna, who nodded again. Xiùlán squatted beside the door and reached around the frame, hitting the door with the butt of her shotgun.

The door swung inward, only to be shredded by a blast of bullets from an automatic weapon of some sort. Xiùlán grabbed a grenade from her equipment belt, thumbed the arming switch and tossed it into the room. The answering volley of bullets was short-lived… the grenade exploded, destroying the gun emplacement and whomever was inside with it. Xiùlán backed away from the door frame, performed a combat roll to her right and unloaded her shotgun into the room.

She cautiously walked up to the door and peered inside; she sensed she could have saved her ammo block, as there was nothing left inside except blackened walls and a destroyed turret. Turning back to see how Aglyna was doing, she said quietly, "Let's grab 'im and get outta here."

T'Sega had inspected the restraints holding their prisoner in place. "We have a problem, _Ai'a me_… I am unable to see it, but my omni-tool has detected a seriously powerful explosive device in the seat of this chair. It appears to be weight sensitive, so _any_ lessening of load on the seat will most _certainly_ set off the charge." Aglyna paused, then continued with, "Of course, since this is an exercise and no one is supposed to killed or seriously injured, it may only be a pressure switch with a dusting of explosive residue to fool our sensors."

Xiùlán took notice of Aglyna's use of the Thessian word for 'a trusted friend', but chose to say nothing for now. She looked questioningly at her companion as she indicated the hood over their subject's head. "It can be safely removed… there are no trip wires, the asari responded. Still, we should exercise caution. And we are running out of time. Surely there must be reinforcements being sent here in response to the explosions and gunfire."

"Agreed. So, let's just…" Xiùlán pulled the hood off their kidnap victim's head, nearly falling over in surprise as she learned the identity of the reason behind this exercise. "General Park! How in the hell…?" It turned out their victim was not real… just a very realistic representation of the general's face grafted onto a clothing store manikin, which explained the total lack of movement, the lack of any attempt to speak, even past a gag in the mouth. "Well, that is _certainly_ special," Xiùlán huffed. "I guess they don't want to risk blowing up a living person, huh?"

Aglyna was studying the manikin, attempting to find a way to deactivate the trigger for the explosive seat cushion as Xiùlán cut the plastic ties holding it tightly to the chair. "I am unable to see any method of removing this… person's… weight… without triggering the charge. What do we do?"

Xiùlán brought up her omni-tool. "Only thing we can do. We scramble everything. Shield your eyes, just in case I'm wrong."

Xiùlán activated a small program Traynor had insisted on installing. It would 'freeze' any targeted electronic device, including detonators. For this pressure switch, lack of a load would collapse the circuit; Traynor's program would electronically 'freeze' the circuit in place for forty-five seconds, giving them enough time to get the 'general' out of the chair and out of the room before it could activate. "Ready?"

T'Sega nodded once as she grabbed the manikin's arms. Xiùlán triggered the program, then nodded at T'Sega as she helped pull the manikin from the chair. "Damn! Thing's as heavy as a human!" The pair struggled to drag the uncooperative body back to the front of the entryway, far enough from the lethal chair. Aglyna grabbed the manikin around its waist and hung on as Xiùlán reopened the main entry door. Shields and cloaks engaged, the pair dragged their burden through the door, expecting to have to fight their way through more Marines. Surprisingly, all was quiet outside the building. All the soldiers they had downed on their way in were gone, replaced with markers on the ground to show where they had been 'killed'.

Yuán was damned if she was going to carry the 'dead' weight of an unconscious person, which was exactly what the manikin was meant to represent. She reached behind her and unclipped her personal ME generator; hooking the device to the manikin's belt, she activated her omni-tool and set it to negate 80% of the manikin's weight. Guessing the dummy weighed about 80 Kg. in Earth normal gravity, she figured it would weigh about 90 to 95 Kg. in this higher gravity environment; 19 to 20 Kg. was much more manageable when slung over her shoulder.

Xiùlán shifted the still awkward but now lighter manikin so she could lift it onto her right shoulder, grabbed her shotgun and looked at Aglyna. "It'll be up to you to protect us, especially from the rear. Raise your barrier and let's move."

T'Sega placed a hand on the human's backplate, brought up a biotic barrier and said, "Go!"

As they started to head back for the brush, they heard – and felt – a dull thud from inside the building. "Sounds like this general was expendable after all!" was Xiùlán's only comment. The pair trotted back to the tree line and crouched at the edge. "We have to make it another 25 meters in order to finish," Xiùlán panted. "Give me a minute…" she gulped down an energy drink as she caught her breath.

Her asari companion had dropped her barrier in order to be fresh for the final dash, so continued to look around, keeping silent watch on their 'four through eight' as Yuán caught her breath. After a minute, Xiùlán nodded, then stood in a semi-crouch and shouldered their rescued 'prisoner' as T'Sega raised her barrier. Both of them trotted back the way they'd entered the area, only to be engulfed in a massive cloud of dirt, dust and debris kicked up by a pair of explosives buried on either side of the trail. Aglyna cried out as the massive amount of debris rained down on her barrier – fortunately, it protected them from both the debris and the twin shock waves; the pair was shaken but unhurt, so ran the final several meters to their egress point. Xiùlán carefully set her burden down on the ground, retrieved her ME generator and plopped down beside the manikin.

Aglyna stood bent over nearby, panting from the exertion as she supported her upper body with her hands on her knees. "Obviously someone planted those charges after we entered the compound, Ai'a me… but I do not know what set them off."

Xiùlán grinned up at her. "Trip wire. Oldest and simplest actuator there is. Virtually invisible, even when you're looking right at it." Activating her omni-tool, Xiùlán sent a message to the instructors monitoring their exercise informing them of their success in extracting the prisoner. She was _so_ ready for a soothing shower and a hot meal…

* * *

TECHNICAL SECTION – DOME THREE

While her lover was working her way through the uncomfortable environment of the combat simulator, Samantha Traynor was moving through a 'server' compartment – actually a 90 by 35 meter room housing a large number of servers. As it wouldn't be good for students to be trashing the servers on which the entire facility depended, these were not hard-wired to anything in the complex except the interfaces in the analysis office at the far end.

She had been tasked with hacking certain ones, which she would have to find by scanning output data strings from each nine-server group. Sam had quickly worked her way through a third of the groups when she was struck and thrown to the floor by a power surge from the first server in a group she had yet to scan.

_'__Shit! That did not feel nice at all!'_ she thought. She attempted to get to her feet, only to be hit by another power surge from the same machine. _'Dammit! Looks like I'm meant to crawl through this section. That's going to really slow me down.'_ Thinking about her situation for a moment, she decided to raise her kinetic barrier and energize her cloak, just to see if that made a difference. She was still facing the source of the power surges, so rose slowly to her knees. Having done this with no reaction from the server, she slowly stood to her full height… still no reaction.

Traynor cautiously activated her Omni-tool while observing the server. Again, no reaction. She quickly hacked into its processor and inserted an electronic worm designed to take down any defenses that had been intended to keep people from traversing the compartment. While she had access to its programming, she queried its memory to see if any of the other servers were similarly equipped with proximity defenses; discovering several more along her intended path, she disabled the sub-routines in all of them, then removed the evidence of her intrusion, disconnected and began moving.

Traynor quickly worked her way through the rest of the servers, successfully hacking each of her assigned targets. When she reached the end, she logged into the last server that had been programmed to defend against intruders. Sam reactivated the defensive routine in all of the servers where it had originally resided, then added the sub-routine to additional servers near the start of the test course. _'Bastards want to play dirty…' _She added a randomizer that would make the program skip around to different servers each time one was activated. _'…I'll show 'em how it's done!'_ she smirked to herself as she removed all traces of her intrusion and disengaged her Omni-tool.

Quickly hacking the door lock, she exited the compartment and relocked the door behind her, then left to find the people monitoring her exercise.

* * *

OMEGA STATION – NEAR _SPIRIT WORLD_ BAR, LOWER LEVELS

K'ath Din'sari remained hidden in the shadows across the poorly lit alley from the entrance to the bar called Spirit World. She had directed a very intoxicated (and heavily drugged) Ugrolya Rarfenak to meet a potential buyer of an ancient artifact… Rarfenak was brokering the sale for another batarian – Kryllê Ghydgryz, a pirate captain that had been operating in the Terminus.

Din'sari had failed to inform Rarfenak the potential buyer was a member of the Blue Suns; the Blue Suns would not pay for _anything_ they could obtain by subterfuge – failing that, their backup negotiating method would be violence. K'ath did not care how they worked it out, as long as she was paid by one side or the other for setting up the meet.

She held her breath and drew back a bit deeper into the shadow as she spotted Ugrolya strolling towards the bar's entrance. He was met from inside by a surly looking human as he attempted to enter. The man inside, whom K'ath had seen when she'd talked to her contact in the Blue Suns, pushed Rarfenak back, keeping him from entering the bar. After exchanging a few words, K'ath watched in amazement as the unknown man held up an ID chip, apparently the same one she herself had handed to a big turian just three hours before. _'What the n'Tuj raugh…? They've made some kind of switch!'_

K'ath didn't dare get involved at this point – she didn't know if the human had seen her when she met the turian to set up the meeting, and she was afraid she'd get Ugrolya injured or killed if either of them saw her. She continued to watch the pair, realizing as she did the human was not capable of successfully negotiating with a shrewd batarian such as Ugrolya Rarfenak. After talking for several more minutes, the human appeared to shrug his shoulders as he activated his Omni-tool. After making several entries, Rarfenak's tool illuminated in reply… Rarfenak made several entries, as if to confirm payment had been received; he then made a few more entries, shut down his Omni-tool, said a few more words to the human, then casually strolled into the bar.

The gruff looking human produced a cigarette from somewhere in his overcoat, lit it with a tiny flame from his omni-tool, then proceeded to pace back and forth in front of the bar as he fouled his lungs and the outside air – itself not the freshest for being endlessly recycled – for several minutes, as if he was waiting for… something.

The 'something', it turned out, was an incoming message on his omni-tool. Apparently satisfied with the message, he dropped his cigarette to the pavement, looked around the alley and then started walking to the 'southwest'. On a whim, K'ath decided to follow him, flitting from shadow to shadow at a discreet distance. The human had neglected to thoroughly inspect the ID chip he'd been given by the turian; K'ath had inserted a tiny transmitter in one end. It would allow her to track its movements for a full day before the tiny power cell died.

* * *

ALLIANCE SPEC OPS TRAINING FACILITY – MARS  
2180 / 08 / 03 – EARLY EVENING

Samantha Traynor set her loaded dinner tray on the table and slid into the bench next to Xiùlán. Bumping her upper arm companionably with her own, she said, "I am _so_ glad all of _that_ is done!" She looked up at Aglyna T'Sega, sitting across from Xiùlán quietly eating her own dinner. "I hear you and Yuán really excelled at dragging a dummy general out of a bad place." Traynor smirked as she added, "Sounds like you eliminated a few Marines and kicked up a lot of dirt"

T'Sega studied Sam intently for several moments before answering, her violet-tinged copper-colored eyes partially hidden behind slightly narrowed lids. "We did. I found the entire exercise to be quite… interesting. It would be better if the Alliance had more trained biotics among their number, but I discovered Xiùlán's abilities nicely complement my own, and mine, hers. I would consider it an honor to work by her side again." T'Sega took several bites from her salad before continuing, "I understand you really… ahhh, what is the human expression?… busted their chops?… with your programming and hacking skills?"

Sam blushed slightly, glanced at Xiùlán, then looked back at the asari commando. "They told me they have never… _never_… had any student score higher on that server intrusion test. They even accused me of sabotaging the network so no one else could successfully navigate the damned thing… can you imagine?!" Sam rolled her eyes in an attempt to look like the innocent school girl she most definitely wasn't. "They actually had the balls to accuse _me_ of fucking it up _so_ bad, their programmers couldn't fix the bloody thing!"

Xiùlán chuckled as she added, "They gave Sà mǐ extra credit for going back in and restoring the original programming so they didn't have to take the system down for a cold-start." She looked at her lover, pride evident in her expression. "I expect they'll _all_ be glad when you're on your way back to Earth, my love, and happy as hell you've chosen to stay in the Alliance."

Traynor smiled as she placed a hand on Xiùlán's thigh under the table. "You'll be coming with me, Luv. We'll have thirty days leave. I want to see the South Sea Islands… spend some time on a white sand beach, watch the ocean waves rolling ashore. Just you and me alone on an island in the Pacific. Sound good?"

"Can't think of anything I'd love better. We'll also need to pay a visit to Shanghai, see my parents, do some shopping." Xiùlán put her arm around Traynor's back so she could pull her close. "Can't wait to show you the sights, buy a few mementos, sample the local food and beer. We'll have a great time."

Traynor gave Xiùlán's thigh a gentle squeeze as she smiled and said, "I can't wait, Luv."

* * *

* ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • THURSDAY, 2180 / 08 / 31

Newly promoted SC1 Samantha Traynor ran to her lover as soon as the presiding officer declared them 'dismissed'. "Xiùlán!… Xiùlán, we did it!… made it all the way through the program!" Sam grabbed Yuán around the waist and lifted, spun her around twice, set her back down and hugged her tight as she kissed her. "Eighteen stinking months, only made bearable because of you!"

"Wait a minute!" Xiùlán was finally able to pull back and catch her breath as she returned the hug. She nuzzled Sammy's neck and whispered in her ear, "It's been a long twenty months, Sà mǐ. We'd have been out of here in June if we hadn't gone on those extracurricular missions in the Traverse."

"Ah yes, how could I forget?" Traynor's brow creased and her eyes looked pained as she thought back to their second mission. "I'd say we received a right proper education at the hands of the four-eyed bastards, Luv. Won't _ever_ forget the pain they caused _me_."

"Believe me, _I_ won't forget either… I damn near lost you out there, Sà mǐ, and I _never_ want to experience that feeling of despair again!" Xiùlán finished with, "Let's go finish packing our gear… we're departing for Earth tomorrow morning… with any luck, there'll be no need for either of us to _ever_ return to Mars."


	18. INTRODUCTIONS

_For Chinese people, when it comes to parents, nothing is negotiable. Your parents are your parents, you owe everything to them (even if you don't), and you have to do everything for them (even if it destroys your life). – _Amy Chua

* * *

*** 2180 / 09 / 16 • EARTH, CHINA, CITY of SHANGHAI ***

Samantha Traynor and Yuán Xiùlán, after graduating top of their class from the Alliance run Special Ops program carried out over an intense twenty months on Earth's moon and on Mars, had spent ten tranquil days on a white sand beach and ten very peaceful nights in a vacation condo-unit nestled on the north shore of Kaua`i, northernmost of the Hawaiian islands chain in the North Pacific Ocean on Earth. Yuán was now a Service Chief in the Alliance Navy; Traynor had been promoted to Serviceman 1st Class, just as they had been told by General RaeLee Park almost a year ago during their classes on Mars.

While on Kaua`i, the pair had tried windsurfing, gone on two different guided hiking tours, even went snorkeling, interspersing the activities with long, hand-in-hand walks on the beach, simply enjoying each other's company as they watched the ocean waves rolling ashore. Their time together seemed to fly by, surprising them both when it was time to leave.

From Kaua`i, they'd flown to the port city of Shanghai, Xiùlán's home. Xiùlán had taken Sammy to meet her parents and grandmother, who were all very welcoming of their daughter's new friend… at first, particularly when she presented each of them with a small, gift-wrapped present. Only Xiùlán's grandmother's welcome dimmed significantly when it became clear Samantha was _more_ than simply a friend to Xiùlán, who tried to explain how she and Sà mǐ had fallen in love. Traynor attempted to follow the Mandarin language conversation, managing to catch a word here and there, none of them good, mostly when either Chaoxiang (Xiùlán's father) or Xiuying (her grandmother) were glaring at her, their formerly welcoming manner having nearly vanished.

Xiùlán's mother appeared to be a bit more understanding; her father and _his_ mom, not so much… it sounded to Sam as if their chief concern was Xiùlán's inability to bear any children from the union, as the words 'yīng'ér' and 'háizimen' [嬰兒 and 孩子 _\- baby, children_] were frequently heard. Sam, fully realizing she was committing a serious breach of protocol, finally placed an arm in front of Xiùlán to gently interrupt their quiet discussion; all three of the elders stared at her as is she had appeared out of thin air, but Sam was not deterred as she carefully addressed Xiùlán's father in halting Mandarin, "Wǒ ài nǐ de nǚ'ér, xiānshēng." [我愛你的女兒，先生。_\- I love your daughter, Sir._] Placing a hand on Xiùlán's shoulder, she added, "Tā jiùle wǒ de mìng. [她救了我的命。– _She saved my life._] Zhè shì yīgè zhàiwù, wǒ huì bàodá de yītiān" [這是一個債務，我會報答的一天。– _This is a debt, one day I will repay_].

Sam brought her hands together in front of her, fingertips under her chin, and bowed slightly to the three before turning to leave. She felt terrible to be the cause of Xiùlán's apparent rift with her parents and grandmother, and wanted to leave before she did any more damage to that relationship. She had only taken a few steps when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. In a soft, surprisingly musical sounding voice, Yuán Lì húa said, "Bù zǒu, sà màn shā, qǐng." [不走，薩曼莎，請. – _Do not go, Samantha, please._]

Sam turned around to find Lì húa, eyes moist with emotion, asking her to please stay. Sam bent down slightly as she wrapped her arms around the tiny woman in a gentle hug; she looked up to see Yuán Chaoxiang solemnly standing beside his mother, with Xiùlán standing behind them both with a faint smile on her face. Grandmother and parents may have been disappointed in their daughter's choice for a mate, but had quickly decided Xiùlán's happiness was all that really mattered, and had seen and heard the utter sincerity in Samantha's expression of love for her. What had started out as a tense confrontation between ancestors and daughter had ended, if not in a totally enjoyable visit, at least in a visit free from any strife.

The next morning during breakfast, Xiùlán told her mother of Sam's prowess in hand-to-hand combat, relating the story of Sam's final meeting with Joesiar and his minions; both parents and grandmother had expressed surprise and grudging admiration for Sam's abilities after watching video of the encounter on Xiùlán's omni-tool. The fact that Sam had learned all she knew from Xiùlán had her mom nodding in understanding, as _she_ had been her daughter's instructor for many years.

Lì húa took it upon herself to help Samantha hone her technique with her nángùn, waking before breakfast to exercise beside her daughter's protégé and teach some of the more advanced moves with the two-meter long staff. There were also more lessons in Jing Quan Dao; Sam learned several of the more esoteric defensive moves from an expert teacher – moves that were offensive in part, ways to fight that turned an opponent's own weight and inertia completely against them. If Traynor thought she was going to have another relaxing two-weeks off after her glorious time in Hawaii, Yuán Lì húa quickly burst _that_ bubble.

Both parents were surprised and impressed with the asari manufactured omni-tools the pair wielded, particularly the different blades that could be instantly fabricated. Sammy thought Xiùlán would burst with pride when she was able to flawlessly execute the basic exercises employing the liǔyè dāo [_willow leaf sabre_] and the shuāng dāo [雙 刀 _– __double knife_]; Lì húa was able to help Sam further refine her techniques with these deadly blade weapons, just as she had done for using the nángùn.

Traynor had also impressed Xiùlán's father with her vast array of computer knowledge, particularly her gift for statistical analysis of seemingly dissimilar figures. Chaoxiang's position at the book keeping business he managed was enhanced when the changes she suggested increased the speed and efficiency of the computers responsible for data inquiry and retention.

They had been staying with Xiùlán's parents for ten days when Xiùlán finally spoke to Sammy about her parents while the pair were preparing dinner. "They have both grown quite impressed with you, Sà mǐ, particularly my mother. She finds it difficult to comprehend how you could have learned and perfected your skills in such a short space of time; she says you possess a singular gift for close quarters combat… a rarity."

Traynor gave her lover a quick peck on the cheek. "She's just being nice, Xiùlán. I could never come close to matching the skills either one of you possess… I learn something new every time we take the floor together!" She went silent for several moments as she continued to slice fresh carrots. "Your mom has taught me so much in the short time we've been here. I _really_ wish I could have met you… met _all_ of you, ten years ago."

Xiùlán placed a kiss on Traynor's cheek in return. "You are so sweet, Sà mǐ. I don't think you would have learned as much so quickly if we'd met when we were twelve or thirteen years old. You needed your experiences at college, or you might not have been so willing to learn what I could teach you. Our futures could have changed in so many ways if we had known each other as children."

Traynor wasn't so sure. "My interests in girls… versus boys?… would have stayed the same, Xiùlán, even at _that_ age. Meeting you sooner?" Sam looked at her lover as she thought about her own past on Horizon. "I would have fallen in love with you that… much… sooner! Yes! At the tender age of twelve. You need to know that, Yuán Xiùlán; I have never… _never_… loved anyone the way I love you!"

Yuán Xiuying had silently entered the kitchen and had listened to the final bits of conversation between the young women, surprising them both when she pointed a bony finger at Sam and announced, "Nǐ shì yīgè dìguó zhǔyì! [你是一個帝國主義！- _You are an imperialist!_] Zhèlǐ zhǐ chèn rén! [這裡只趁人！– _Only here to take advantage of people!_]

Xiùlán quickly leaped to Sam's defense, explaining to her grandmother that Samantha had been born on Earth, that her parents had moved to a brand new colony on a formerly empty world in 2168; Horizon had been settled by humans from all over, _including_ China, all with high hopes for their future away from Earth. She concluded with, "Sami is no threat to you or this family, Nǎinai. Please. You must realize I would never endanger this house."

The old woman's eyes never left Samantha until Xiùlán's mother entered the small kitchen to see what was happening. Lì húa surprised Xiuying by taking Samantha's side, praising her for her abilities and willingness to learn new things, particularly concerning martial arts. She also expressed gratitude for the assistance Sam had given to Chaoxiang's position at his workplace, enhancing his reputation with the owners.

Samantha simply stayed quiet and listened; having won over two of the three people that were important in the life of her lover was enough for now. She suspected Yuán Xiuying had lived long enough to remember tales of European colonialism in the Far East, and her own acquired British accent had served as a trigger, bringing back bad memories of hard times. Xiùlán and her mom had things well in hand.

* * *

OMEGA STATION – LOWER LEVELS

K'ath Din'sari was absolutely livid. The payment she'd been promised for setting up a deal for Ugrolya Rarfenak to sell an ancient asari artifact in the possession of Terminus pirate Kryllê Ghydgryz to the Blue Suns had been forgotten – Rarfenak denied having promised payment to her, and the Blue Suns had sent a very large turian to intimidate her into keeping her mouth shut about the whole deal.

She had trailed a gruff looking human from the _Spirit World Bar_ in the lower habitat levels to a series of older, dilapidated space-docks, from where a large amount of illegal activity was carried out. It turned out the human was heading to a group of short-term drop-boxes, one of which turned out to be where the artifact had been stored after Ghydgryz had been paid his 'finder's fee' by the Suns. The human had retrieved the figurine, itself protected by a sealed, flexible clearview container.

Once the figurine was in the possession of the Blue Suns, any leverage for payment due anyone was completely gone. K'ath had never had the artifact in her possession, so was guaranteed nothing, but she _had_ expected to be treated fairly. Now, she paced about in her tiny apartment near the bar where she worked, getting ready for another boring shift. She had one last trick up her sleeve – she knew a person that could get her in touch with an agent for the Shadow Broker; she'd sell the information on the figurine, make a few credits for her troubles and hopefully cause the person or group currently holding that figurine a great deal of trouble. She knew what she intended to do might place her life in peril, so she needed to be exceedingly careful, but she wasn't going to simply let this go.

She left for the bar, carefully locking the entrance door behind her.

* * *

*** 2180 / 10 / 04 • ARCTURUS STATION, L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ***

Traynor and Yuán had said their goodbyes to Xiùlán's family in Shanghai the previous Sunday morning as they boarded an Alliance shuttle bound for Arcturus Station, their semi-permanent duty station during their assignment to Spec/Ops. It was from Arcturus they would be deploying on a number of clandestine missions, primarily in the Terminus systems, but also in the Attican Traverse.

They had been reunited with a few of their classmates upon arrival, and had been introduced to other members of the team; one in particular, Operations Chief Griffen 'Griff' Buchanan, would become the third member and nominal leader of their squad. Buchanan's appearance was quite remarkable – he stood a good 20 Cm. taller than Xiùlán's 186 Cm. height, with the shoulders-to-waist, triangle-silhouette common to heavy weight lifters; although he had a lot of muscle on his frame, he was well-proportioned, giving the impression that he could move fast with very little effort. His slanted, greenish gray eyes and close-cropped dark hair were offset by a recent knife scar (_'got into a little argument with a turian over a card game'_, was all he would say about it), running in an angry red line from his forehead around to his left ear. When asked about surgery to remove it, Griff said there never seemed to be enough downtime available to heal from the procedure.

In addition to his skills as a pilot, Griff would generally be tasked with assisting his partners in completing whatever mission they were assigned until the brass judged they could go in alone, at which point he would become their handler, giving instructions and guidance as needed. Since each of them would need to be capable of covering for either of the other two while on assignment, Xiùlán and Samantha were immediately assigned to flight training classes in order to give them enough familiarity with piloting the UT-47 that they could escape a situation without an assigned pilot.

Flight lessons proved easier for Traynor, as she was used to looking at the world through vid-monitors. Yuán found it easier to fly with the virtual windscreen and side viewports operational, but forced herself to learn to fly without the use of the visual aids. Both woman swiftly went through the 'emergency' flight school, easily earning high marks from their instructors.

* * *

A portion of their flight training included the basics of navigation using the Mass Relays, a subject that really intrigued Traynor. Ever since the 2048CE discovery of the Prothean data cache on Mars, humanity's presence had seemingly exploded into the galaxy. The development of FTL travel led to a thorough exploration of the Sol System, climaxing with the discovery of the ice and debris covered relay orbiting Pluto in 2049CE.

The first relay jump from Charon to the nearby system of Arcturus led curious explorers to boldly – some might say recklessly – begin traveling to other nearby star systems. It would be eight years before humanity's violent introduction to another space fairing race, the turians. The brief conflict ended with hard feelings on both sides; the turians were particularly unhappy at being charged as the aggressor for starting the conflict.

Relay-to-relay exploration increased at an accelerated rate in 2158CE. Sometime during the ensuing twenty-two years, Alliance cosmic and gravitational physicists had confirmed, in at least three of the long-distance relay pairs, the existence of a special Mass Relay – a booster relay – placed approximately half the distance between the system relays forming each pair. The Space/Time-Corridor created between the relays in the Ismar Frontier and the Omega Nebula had a booster in the middle of the Nemean Abyss. Rather than the single 'tuning fork' appearance of a primary or secondary relay, a booster was double-ended, being 22 kilometers long with the revolving, gyroscopic rings set at the middle of an encircling structure smaller than in a prime or secondary relay; the structure was always aligned with the main relays at either end of the S/T-C.

The booster's function was to supplement the stability of the S/T-C for its entire distance; there was no provision for exiting the S/T-C at its location, as it would be impossible to reenter the path in order to continue traveling to the intended destination – or so everyone had been led to believe. The physicists, having collaborated with experts in navigational programming, discovered there _was_ a way to exit the S/T-C at the booster's location while enroute; furthermore, the interrupted journey could be completed at any time afterwards, as the relays used each ships unique identifier – its transponder – to keep track of their progress to their destination. It was a simple matter to add encoding to each ship's navi-computer to enable a mid-transit exit. Reentry was accomplished by 'contacting' the relay and approaching as if it were the originating relay. It would spawn a Space/Time-Corridor and send the ship either towards its original destination as if there had been no interruption in the journey, or back to its point of origin.

The Alliance had immediately classified everything concerning this discovery in the erroneous belief that humanity was the only race to have discovered this in all the centuries the turians, asari and salarians had been space-faring races. Modified exploration ships were clandestinely sent out solely to investigate the phenomenon, their mission was to locate and map as many of these 'booster' relays as possible. The arrogantly flawed assumption that humanity was the only race to discover and utilize a booster relay was rapidly proven wrong; an Alliance corvette dropped out in the Nemean Abyss and took up a position 80,000 clicks away.

An amazing amount of traffic dropped out of the relay and disappeared into local FTL; these same ships usually reappeared within a week or so to resume their interrupted journey to their original destination. When the corvette followed the destination vector of these vessels, it discovered an heretofore unknown space station a light year from the booster relay – Cartagena Station – in the void orbiting a lone gas giant, itself in orbit around a brown dwarf. The small station turned out to be a transfer point for smugglers of all stripes; the majority of the traffic consisted of batarian pirate craft, Blue Suns smugglers and a few scattered Cerberus flagged vessels, docking at the station for varying amounts of time. Now that the Systems Alliance knew of the station, it would continue monitoring traffic through the relays.

* * *

*** 2180 / LATE OCTOBER — MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER ***

Yuán, Traynor and Buchanan found themselves trailing a Blue Suns shipment of stolen, turian owned lithium dimethylamide condensers along with containers of monomethylhydrazine through the lower levels of Omega Station. The Suns were transferring the cargo from a pair of Kowloon freighters they had hijacked after murdering and spacing their crews – pilots and navigators had been replaced with humans working for the Blue Suns.

Ordinarily, the Alliance would not have gotten involved with a pair of hijacked turian freighters, but as their cargo was destined for military use on the volus world of Irune, the volus ambassador had requested assistance from the Alliance in recovering the cargo.

Buchanan and Traynor had 'inserted' themselves into the ground crew in order to enable the placement of trackers amongst the cargo containers; no one ever asked questions of station-based cargo handlers, as they were all hired on a temporary basis. The unlikely pair had changed into ordinary, nearly worn out clothes, with holes in knees and ragged cuffs on the pants; their faces and hands were dirty as well. Sam's hair looked unkempt and greasy, as did Griff's, and he had stopped shaving three weeks prior to the mission. Neither had bathed in a number of days, a situation Sam found completely repugnant; she could actually _smell_ her own body, enough so she didn't want to raise her arms. And Buchanan! She hadn't been around too many men for any length of time, but the few she _had_ worked with weren't usually so grossly offensive; Griff gave new meaning to the words.

No one paid either of them any attention, with the exception of moving away if they got too close, so Sam and Griff were free to place trackers on, in and under the cargo containers they moved between the two smaller vessels and the heavy freighter that was receiving the entire load. The trackers were a basic Alliance design that Sam had modified – instead of continuously pinging their location, they only emitted once every 70 minutes; a central processor within several of them synchronized all of them, preventing them from all pinging together.

When the job was done, they grabbed their pay and left by separate routes. Sam went into an alcove next to a building and risked using her omni-tool to check the status of the trackers. Satisfied that all were operating to specs, she looked around quickly, shut down her tool and made for the closest elevator.

* * *

After a three week journey through the relays from Omega, The _MSV Ocean's Skull_ arrived at a freight forwarding dock on the Citadel, having called first at Korlus, then at Aequitas. When C-Sec boarded the craft they promptly arrested the batarian captain and his first officer for smuggling stolen cargo and selling a portion of it while enroute. The _Ocean's Skull_ was confiscated from its owners, who would have to reimburse the turian shipping company for the missing containers; the freighter would be sold at auction, with the proceeds being divided among the family members of the murdered crews of the two vessels originally hauling the cargo.

A number of the monomethylhydrazine containers had found their way to Cartagena Station; discovered in a trans-shipment hanger waiting for pickup by an elcor buyer, an Alliance team led by Yuán Xiùlán had recovered all of the valuable cargo by tracking the signals the previously installed tracers were emitting. The combination of the alphanumeric codes on each container, matched to the original manifests from Palavan _and_ the covertly installed tracers confirmed without a doubt the ownership of the chemical cargo. The Alliance's successful completion of the recovery mission enhanced their reputation with the Volus and the Turians; unfortunately, relations with the batarians were now even more strained then they had been before. Somehow, the batarians simply failed to realize the few bad pœ'mojn (batarian fruit, similar to a Terran apple) in their midst 'tainted' them all in the same smell.

* * *

OMEGA STATION – MIDDLE LEVELS

K'ath Din'sari left the nondescript building by a side door, not wishing to be seen leaving from the same door she'd entered less than an hour before. She had come here to play her final card in a dangerous game – she had met with an agent for the Shadow Broker in order to sell information about an ancient asari figurine that had already changed hands several times just since _she'd_ learned of its existence.

Ugrolya Rarfenak had reneged on his promised payment to her, and a turian enforcer for the Blue Suns had threatened her life if she continued to stick her nose into places it was not welcome. Involving the Shadow Broker was her final chance to make a few credits for all her hard work, but she knew her life was forfeit if the Suns got wind of her actions. She took a round-about route to the transit stand a short distance from the building, keeping a careful watch on the dark alleys and walkways around her.

She finally walked up to an air car taxi that could take her to the lower levels where she lived and worked; taking a last look around, she activated the hatch and was about to lower herself into the rear seat when she felt a slight pain in her left shoulder. Looking around revealed nothing – she rolled her shoulders a bit and felt nothing amiss, so continued, getting into the air car and making herself comfortable in the rear seat, where she entered her destination and used her palm to press the 'start' control. The tiny eezo powered engine came to life under her – the car rose straight up a meter, rotated on its axis and headed for her destination.

She tried and failed to relax during the short flight – she was still worried that her actions had, despite her attempts to stay beneath notice, drawn attention from the Blue Suns. _'Should have just ignored Rarfenak and Ghydgryz when I had the chance,'_ she thought as the air car completed its descent to the lower habitat section of the station and gently came to a stop on the pavement. K'ath swung her legs out of the car and stood as the side door opened; after a furtive glance around her, she started walking, intending to stop by her apartment for a change of clothes before going to the bar for another boring shift of serving drinks to guys who apparently thought what they paid for their beverages entitled them to rub or grab her ass as she walked by their tables. _'Hope that's the worst that happens for the next few weeks. Wonder if going to the Shadow Broker was a smart thing to do…'_ The agent _had_ said she'd be contacted soon…

K'ath quickly looked around after entering her apartment. Her gut was telling her something was 'off', but she couldn't see anything out of place, and there was no one here but herself. She closed and locked the entry door and moved into her tiny bedroom to change into a fresh bar uniform. She was pulling her shirt off over her head as she moved back into her living/dining room. Feeling a twinge in her left shoulder, she paused long enough to grab her arm with her right hand and take a good look at the area bothering her – nothing visible – still feeling a slight twinge when she rotated the shoulder or moved her arm around.

Shaking her head, K'ath decided it was nothing and finished getting undressed. Moving about in just her underpants normally didn't bother her – not having the continuously swollen breasts of, say, human females, batarian females did not appear that much different from males, at least until their pants were removed. Without the hormones her body would be generating if she had a small mouth to nurse, her breasts would remain virtually flat, with just enough fat and undeveloped milk glands behind the nipples to mark her as a female. At this moment, K'ath felt distinctly uncomfortable and hastily grabbed her uniform. She still did not see anything in the apartment that could explain her feelings, but she'd always trusted her gut, and right now, it was churning with an undeniable apprehension.

She quickly donned her tights and pulled her dress on. Having her chest covered again calmed the butterflies in her stomach. As she finished getting dressed, she continued to look around the small apartment. Finally giving up the apparently fruitless search for… something… she pulled on a jacket and left for the bar, locking her door securely behind her.

* * *

_'__That young woman is very smart, and quite sensitive to her environment,'_ Padok Wiks thought to himself as he deactivated his cloaking generator and moved from his hiding place between the wall and the back of a chair. _'I will need to be a bit more careful in future… can't afford to be seen just yet…'_ The salarian STG operative moved to the door and waited as he listened for movement outside. _'…damn lucky I wasn't in the open. Secondary eyes sensitive to infrared… can see my body heat when cloaked, even if quite cool compared to her own.'_ Wiks reactivated his cloaking generator as he opened the door; once outside, he carefully locked the door as she had done, then added a sub-routine that would alert his omni-tool next time it was unlocked… _'only reason I had time to hide before she entered.'_ With that thought, Padok Wiks left the habitat area for the seedy bar where K'ath Din'sari was employed.

* * *

K'ath had been working about two hours when the turian strolled through the door and took a seat at one of the tables. She didn't like the look of him, but then, she felt that way about the majority of the people she had to serve. He placed an appropriate amount of credits on the small table and ordered a drink – a _Horosk_. K'ath moved towards the bar to fill the order and nearly collided with another customer, a salarian, who apologized profusely as he took a seat at the bar. He watched her clandestinely as she mixed the turian's drink and delivered it to his table.

Upon her return, Padok Wiks asked for a _Tupari_, a sports drink he was particularly fond of drinking. Unfortunately, K'ath could only offer him _Paragade_ as a substitute, since _Tupari_ was a rare find this far down in the station. The salarian expressed a bit of disappointment, but agreed to the replacement as he engaged the pretty batarian waitress in small talk. It took a while, but Wiks charm and his apparent consideration for her gradually broke through her natural reticence concerning bar customers.

After a couple of hours, the turian stood and left, a bit unsteady on his feet after drinking several _Horosks_. He appeared to be a bit unhappy that Wiks had monopolized most of Din'sari's time when she wasn't waiting tables or making drinks. As for K'ath, the evening had been quite profitable for her, making her wish for more such as this. She pulled on her jacket and left for her apartment, unaware the turian she had waited on in the bar was shadowing her rather closely.

K'ath was getting close to making the final turn to walk down the narrow alley where her apartment was located when she heard a commotion behind her. Flattening herself against a wall, she watched in horrified fascination as the turian that had been following her without her knowledge was pinned to a bollard guarding the entrance to a store. The attacker was, to her eyes, visible as a shadowy, black and white image outlined in electronic interference that quickly disappeared from view, leaving just the turian lying on the concrete. K'ath didn't need to be told that what happened behind her was none of her business – she turned the corner and ran the rest of the way to her apartment.

She was on the ragged edge of hysteria by the time she reached her door – she couldn't get the lock released soon enough to get inside where she felt she'd be safe. Just as the door segments parted and slid into their recesses, a hand clamped over her mouth and part of her nose; her attempt to scream was to no avail. The body behind her shoved her into her apartment even as she flailed uselessly at her unseen assailant. She quickly spun about as the hand came off her mouth, only to find the muzzle of some kind of large bore handgun centimeters from her face. All thoughts of screaming died as she sank to her knees and whimpered, "Please don't kill me… please don't kill me… please don't…"

A hand reached down, caught her under her arm and gently pulled. "Please get up, Ms Din'sari. I am not here to hurt you." A form emerged from an electronic field, a cloaking device. It was the salarian she'd recently served and talked with at the bar. "I need to ask you a few questions, Ms Din'sari, and I'll be on my way."

K'ath backed away from the salarian; as she couldn't go far in such a small room, she ended up abruptly sitting in a chair. "What do you want? I don't have any money, or drugs. Is it sex? What?…"

"Please calm down, Ms Din'sari. I am Padok Wiks… employed by Salarian Special Tasks Group. My sincere apologies for frightening you so badly. Needed to make sure you arrived here unharmed, after dealing with turian in alley. Why do you suppose he was following you? Never mind, unimportant now. He was Blue Suns member. I have to wonder what _is_ their interest in a poor tavern waitress from lower levels of Omega. You stumbled onto something that has put your life in jeopardy, Ms Din'sari. I am here to fix that if I can."

"I'm… stumbled onto… what? What turian? What do you want, Mr… Wiks?"

The salarian smiled. "Turian you served earlier this evening… Blue Suns member. I believe he was assigned to shut you up… permanently." Wiks began pacing the small area in front of the chair being occupied by K'ath. "You spoke with a Shadow Broker agent earlier today. _That_ kind of information does _not_ stay hidden, Ms Din'sari, no it doesn't. You have knowledge of a… recent transaction… between a Terminus based pirate captain and the Blue Suns, brokered by a Mr… ahh, Ugrolya Rarfenak, is that correct?"

K'ath was stunned – she didn't think anyone had paid any attention to her. Wiks chuckled. "Humans have a saying for the expression that just crossed your face, Ms Din'sari, but I don't have time to explain the concept well enough for you to understand. Next time you browse the Extranet, look up the words 'deer' and 'headlights' – human terms – that's the look I just saw."

Wiks had ceased his pacing to stand in front of her. "A salarian freighter destroyed, its crew slaughtered; the pirate captain you recently saw talking to Rarfenak responsible. Object obtained by Blue Suns a historical relic of great importance, incalculable value to the asari people. As a favor to their ruling council, STG is looking at every lead, every scrap of evidence available in order to determine the location of that artifact. You were closest to the two people involved in original transfer. What can you tell me about them? What did you overhear?"

"I ahh… nothing, really." K'ath was beyond being nervous by now, but continued on in a halting voice. "I spiked Rarfenak's ale, learned he needed to broker a deal for a rare piece of asari art. I set up a meeting with a Blue Suns rep, a turian, is all… gave him the ID chip Rarfenak gave me and got stiffed for my troubles." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Apparently, it's okay to ignore the batarian female as long as she's out of the way… that's why I went to the Shadow Broker." She looked up at Wiks, her fear obvious as she stammered, "And now you tell me… the Blue Suns want me dead?" Leaning forward slightly, she placed her head in her hands as she leaned her elbows on her legs. "What's going to happen to me now? I don't have enough creds to buy passage off this station… even if I could, where would I go? There's no place safe from them… they're everywhere, and they employ members of all the dominant races, including salarians."

Wiks sighed as he weighed his options. He needed to report back to Councilor Valern on the Citadel, although his instincts screamed the trail was by now too old to follow – the _Crystal Scarab_ had been space dust for close to five months and the artifact had changed hands at least twice since Ghydgryz had cut his deal with Rarfenak. He looked at K'ath Din'sari for a few moments. "Asari are conducting their own search for the artifact, Ms Din'sari. Don't expect them to have any more success at tracking it than STG. Truth is, the trail is quite cold at this point. Blue Suns quite adept at hiding less-than-legal activities. That means you have made yourself a target by contacting the Shadow Broker."

The salarian smiled as he continued, "Broker will undoubtedly expend considerable resources in attempt to recover artifact – the antiquities Guildhall on Thessia will no doubt pay handsomely for its safe return."

Wiks appeared to come to a decision while he was talking. "You need to come with me, Ms Din'sari… I will transport you somewhere safe… well, safer than on this station. We can assist you in obtaining new documents and find a job for you that will minimize your exposure to possible discovery by the Blue Suns. They are, as you say, everywhere. Come on, pack your clothes. Appears you have few possessions here. You can access your accounts once we're on the move." Wiks held out a hand. "Please."

* * *

* CITADEL – PRESIDIUM – ASARI COUNCILOR'S CHAMBERS *

Asari Councilor Raesia Tevos glanced up from the overnight incident reports she was reading to see Dalis Shegos standing just inside the door to her office; returning her attention to the datapad in front of her, she used a hand to casually motion her aide to enter and approach her desk. "What is it, Dalis?"

"There is a bit of news from Omega, Madam Councilor."

Tevos looked up. "I hesitate to ask, but what has the pirate queen done now?"

Shegos shook her head slightly as she replied with a smile, "Oh, this does not concern Aria… at least, there's no news about her as of this morning. However, there _is_ a bit of information regarding the investigation of a missing artifact."

Tevos shoved the datapad aside and gave Dalis her full attention. "From your tone and expression, is has _not_ been recovered. So, what?"

"The STG agent assigned by the Dalatrass on Sur'Kesh has discovered the chain of custody… from the pirate captain to the middle man. He is sure the Blue Suns are now in possession of the figurine. The agent was forced to reveal himself in order to prevent the death of an innocent female, a batarian, working at a tavern that just happened to be the location of the meeting between the principals. She drugged the middle man to find out what he was selling, then set up the 'buy' for him; apparently, the credits she expected in return did not materialize, so she went to an agent for the Shadow Broker."

Tevos picked up the thread – it was something she had seen happen many times in the past. "She made herself a target for retaliation by the Suns, leading to the STG agent having to spirit her off the station for her own safety." Tevos leaned back in her chair and sighed. "The Blue Suns have time on their side. They'll hold on to the figurine until they feel it's sale will not blow back on them."

Tevos pondered for a few moments, then said, "Contact Councilor Valern… ask him to meet with me in the lower level conference room at 0930. You may tell him it concerns the STG operative on Omega Station… he will pretend to not know what you are talking about, so be insistent. He can't possibly be so busy he cannot take a short break to talk to a colleague."

Dalis smiled. "Right away, Councilor."

* * *

_**A/N:** Just a quick thanks to my Beta reader and (now) co-author on this and _'Transformation: Part II'_; we recently met face-to-face and I was able to (finally) buy DS a beer. Now I need to repay DS for the dinner my spouse and I were treated to in conjunction with the beer I provided. Thanks DS! It was nice to meet you in person and chit-chat for a couple of hours!_


	19. Chasing Down Pirates

_Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country. _― Anaïs Nin

* * *

**_Foundations:_** The 'undersides' of the Citadel Wards, between the inhabited superstructures and impenetrable outer hull.  
**_Laçerto-rano: _**Thessian – analogous to a hybrid of a Terran lizard and a frog… generally meant as a derogatory description.  
**_xīlā shǒu lǐ jiàn_** [希拉手裡劍 _\- _hira shuriken]_**:**_ (literally: _sword hidden in user's hand_) – Four-to-six-bladed Japanese throwing star

* * *

*** 2180 / MIDDLE of NOVEMBER • CITADEL LOCAL TIME 0930 ***

Accompanied by Huntress Nizia Tenir, Asari Councilor Raesia Tevos entered the lower level conference room, intent on speaking with salarian councilor Valern in order to discover what he knew about an STG operative spiriting a female batarian waitress off of Omega station. She hoped the conversation would produce some useful information, but expected the results would be less than satisfactory.

Valern entered the room from the far side, looking as if he was doing Tevos an enormous favor; he began speaking before he sat down, his tone of voice condescending. "Really, Madam Councilor, I cannot imagine what could be so important it could not wait a bit longer for my breakfast to settle. You know how much I dislike dealing with non-routine problems so early in the morning. So, speak up, what do you need to discuss?"

Tevos schooled her voice to not show the irritation she felt dealing with this pompous little… _laçerto-rano_. "It has been brought to my attention that an STG agent working on Omega may have encountered a person involved in the sale of the artifact we discussed during our meeting of three months ago. If that _is_ the case, the Asari Republics would be grateful to receive any information you may be able to share."

The salarian actually had the audacity to smile at her. "I believe you are quite mistaken, Madam Councilor. We have no STG operatives on Omega – haven't for a long time."

"Then what do have to say about this?" Tevos tossed a datapad onto the polished table with a deft motion, causing it to spin as it slid, ending up in front of Valern in a position he could read. Valern picked it up with a look of disdain, which quickly changed to doubt as he read the report. "Probably a fabrication, a parcel of half-truths and outright lies to keep us from discovering the actual truth. Is _this_ what you called me down here to speak of?"

"If the STG has found someone involved in the illegal sale of an antiquity, no matter its origin, it is something Councilor Sparatus and I need to be aware of, Councilor Valern." Tevos managed to say his name without grimacing.

"Nonsense. _If,_ as you say, the STG _has_ found someone, then the STG will bring him or her to the Citadel, where they will be dealt with appropriately." Valern stood, shoving the datapad back across the table as he did so. "Omega, as you no doubt are _very_ aware, is _not_ within the jurisdiction of the Citadel Council." The salarian pointed to the datapad as he finished, "Furthermore, that report is unverified, thus is nothing I can comment on. Now, if there is nothing more?…"

Tevos had been a councilor since before this haughty salarian had been hatched, and expected she'd be here long after his demise. "Councilor, your lack of cooperation on _this_ matter is duly noted. I am sure, at some point in the not too distant future, I will be in a position to return the favor." Tevos retrieved her datapad from the table and without another word turned and walked back to the door to leave.

* * *

As Tevos walked back towards the asari side of the council chambers, she continued to think about Valern and his attitude towards her; it was almost as if he _wished_ for her to attempt a physical altercation… as if she would _ever_ attempt to do such a thing in the presence of Nizia. Tevos needed a way to covertly look into this matter on Omega, preferably without Aria T'Loak or the salarians finding out about it. An asari team would look out of place there, and the turians were too quick to shoot first and inquire later. There just didn't seem to be an answer.

She rounded a corner and ran full-tilt into human ambassador Anita Goyle, dropping her datapad and nearly knocking the poor woman off her feet. Huntress Tenir moved quickly to steady her mistress and the human with a hand on each of their backs.

Tevos blushed and stammered out, "My apologies, Ms Goyle! I am so very sorry – I don't know what I was thinking, rushing blindly around a corner like that. Are you okay? Perhaps you should sit for a few moments…"

The human smiled at Nizia as she grabbed the huntress's upper arm to help steady herself. "That's quite alright, Madam Councilor… no harm done." Goyle bent and picked up the datapad; after a cursory look, she handed it back to Tevos. "I believe this is yours? Are _you_ alright?"

Tevos smiled in return. "Quite fine, I assure you." Tevos looked down at the datapad for an instant, then back up to the human ambassador. "I'd like to make this up to you, Ms Goyle. Would it be possible for you to dine with me this evening… in my personal quarters? I have some… things, for which I'd like your opinion. Say, 1830 this evening?"

"Actually, there's a meeting I must attend this evening. Perhaps we can get together for lunch tomorrow." Anita's smile was infectious. "You can come to _my_ offices… we have a very good kitchen staff – I'm sure we can provide you and your bodyguard with foods that will please your palates."

* * *

* PRESIDIUM • HUMAN EMBASSY, CONFERENCE ROOM *

Councilor Tevos and Huntress Tenir had just finished eating their salads and were sampling some of the many selections of Terran fruits, cheeses and finely sliced smoked Pacific salmon from a large silver serving tray as Ambassador Goyle inquired, "Would either of you care for a cup of tea? We have some really excellent varieties from which you may choose."

Tevos glanced at Nizia before answering, "That would be very nice, Ambassador, thank you. I'll leave the choice up to you."

"Very good… and please, just call me _Anita_," came the ready response. "I feel like I've known you my entire life, and I never _did_ get used to the title of _ambassador_."

Tevos was a bit surprised at this. "The asari have always valued formality when dealing with other races in an official capacity; if that is what you truly desire, I believe you and I can be a bit less so… Anita."

Goyle chuckled at this. "Humans prefer to dispense with the formal titles as soon as possible after meeting someone. Titles always seem to be stumbling blocks to truly understanding the other party, whether in casual discussions or serious negotiations, don't you think?"

Tevos smiled as she replied, "Honestly, I have never given any thought to the matter. The use of formal titles has always seemed to be the best way to conduct business… and you may call me _Raesia_."

Goyle's smile lit her entire face. "That's wonderful, Raesia. Our tea should be here momentarily. In the meantime, you have a matter you wish to discuss, unless I completely misread your intentions in wishing to have a meal with me."

Tevos smiled inwardly. _'This human is quite perceptive… not surprising for someone in her position.'_ Tilting her head graciously in the ambassador's direction, the asari took a sip of wine and replied, "I do have… something of a rather… delicate nature I'd like to discuss. I… we, that is, the asari people, could use your help."

Tevos went on to explain the entire story of the ancient wooden figurine of Janiri; as tea was served, she spoke of its recovery from Mavigon by the turian, Septivus Vulpez, its subsequent theft by the batarian pirate captain Kryllê Ghydgryz, its suspected sale on Omega to the Blue Suns, finishing with the salarian councilor's reticence on the matter the previous day. Ambassador Goyle listened quietly, occasionally interrupting only to ask for clarification of a name or offer a comment. The councilor fell silent for several moments after completing the rather lengthy retelling of the story.

Goyle finished her tea and set the cup down. "That's an extraordinary tale, Raesia. So, what would you like me to do?"

"Pardon me?" Tevos blushed slightly as she answered, realizing she had been on the council for so long an honest offer of help, from anyone, seemed strange.

The human chuckled. "That was a rather long and involved tale, Raesia, and it appears to me your options are fairly limited. You _don't_ want help from the turians, the salarians will not share what they've learned about the sale, and you cannot… dare not, send an asari commando squad there to investigate. Is that about right?"

Tevos looked down, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "You understand correctly, Anita. It is a problem we are unable to resolve by ourselves."

"And I would like to help you… recovery of this carving would be appreciated by the Asari Republic, would it not? We simply cannot look the other way when there might be a way to help someone, now can we?"

Tevos looked at the human, puzzlement in her eyes. "**'**Look the other way**'**? I'm not sure I understand…"

The human smiled. "People have a tendency to look somewhere, anywhere, in order to avoid looking directly at someone asking for help. That is what you are doing, is it not, Madam Councilor? Asking for my help?"

Tevos smiled. "Do you think there's anything you can do to assist us, Ambassador?"

"Here now, Raesia. I thought we were past the titles. And of course I will assist you, anyway I am able. It's what friends do for each other." Goyle stood up from the comfortable chair she had occupied after lunch. "Let me reach out to a few people in the Alliance chain of command. I should have some news for you in a day or two."

Tevos heart suddenly felt lighter as she stood to leave. "That is most gracious of you, Anita." The asari bowed slightly towards Goyle, then added, "Thank you for lunch. The food was delicious, especially the… what did you call it?… smoked salmon? We've had a wonderful time." Tevos glanced at Tenir, then turned to leave, the pair followed by the human. "We really must do this again, Anita. Next meal? Let's have it in the asari councilor's quarters."

"Sounds wonderful, Raesia. Until then…"

* * *

Tevos had nearly forgotten her lengthy luncheon with human ambassador Anita Goyle – it had been two full days, with no word back concerning a promise of Alliance help.

She walked into her office bearing a fresh mug of _kaffe,_ from which she sipped as she sat down and activated her secure terminal. She scrolled through the overnight dispatches, scanning portions of each for anything needing her immediate attention. She took another sip from her mug and returned it to its protective pad.

As she reached the end of the dispatches and messages, the terminal on her desk came to life, announcing an incoming, high priority vid-call. Tevos keyed in her personal code of acceptance, and was surprised to see the image of Anita Goyle. "Ambassador… good morning. What may I do for you?"

_"__Councilor?… May I assume this link is secure?"_ Goyle's features appeared quite severe, unlike her appearance in person.

"It is _quite_ secure, Madam Ambassador," Tevos replied with a warm smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Goyle's stern expression softened slightly. _"I need to tell you of my results concerning the matter we discussed over lunch two days ago. The Alliance Navy recently formed a covert ops group; it consists of a number of highly trained operatives, answerable only to a Marine general based in Vancouver, North American continent on Earth." _ Goyle appeared to briefly study a datapad in front of her, below the sending camera's sightline. _"This general has agreed to assign two of her newly-minted operatives…"_

Tevos held up her hand to interrupt. "I'm sorry? You said 'newly-minted'?…

Goyle chuckled. _"Translator glitched on that, did it? It means they've recently graduated from the training program."_

Tevos' voice betrayed her skepticism. "Just graduated from training? Do you really believe these… novices… can return positive results, Anita?"

_"__I understand your concern, Raesia. Simply know these young women graduated at the top of their class; their abilities are unmatched by __anyone__ in the Alliance Navy and Marines. They've already completed several covert operations and we are quite confident they'll provide positive results for you… for the asari people."_

Tevos was silent for several moments before inquiring, "How long do you think it will be before we see results, Anita?"

_"__Honestly, there's no way to predict the amount of time this will take." _Goyle cupped her chin as she looked once more at the datapad before her. _ "Given the delicacy of the item in question __and__ the number of players involved, the investigation may take a number of weeks; indeed, we may be looking at a number of months before we have tangible results. I __do__ believe we'll be successful, Raesia. Should I tell the CvO team to proceed?"_

Tevos mulled over her options for only a few moments before nodding and replying, "Have them go ahead, Anita, and please, keep me advised on their progress?"

The ambassador smiled. _ "Of course… I'll advise you whenever I have news worth sharing. Thank you for your trust, Raesia. I believe you'll be pleased with the results."_

* * *

* 2181 / EARLY JANUARY — MID MARCH *

Samantha Traynor was in the lower levels of Omega Station in the Sahrabarik System of the Omega Nebula. She had spent the previous two plus months, both on _and_ off the station, investigating databases – whether open to anyone, such as Extranet available data, or 'official' databases requiring an illegal hack to gain entry – in order to discover the location of an ancient asari artifact, stolen as a result of a pirate attack on the salarian freighter _MV Crystal Scarab_ eight months prior.

She had been staying in an unmarked Alliance shuttle – a UT-47t that had been in service for a decade or more – its paint severely faded and 'sand-blasted' on all the leading edges; the interior had been converted into a mobile operations office, with accommodations for a maximum of two people. Two-thirds of the pilot's area had been given over to display monitors and haptic interfaces; the entire right side wall of the troop compartment was covered with dozens of computers, all slaved together into one massive super-computer. Starboard squad entrance doors had been left operable in order to provide needed access to a major portion of the power cables and optic cabling behind the machines. Berths for sleeping were mounted high, one on the troop side of the inner partition, the other on the rear bulkhead; personnel seating in the areas below each bunk had been removed to provide storage for personal gear, weapons and supplies.

The shuttle wasn't large enough to include kitchen or toilet facilities, so Sam had been frequenting a nearby tavern for her personal needs – the facility was run through a shell corporation by the Alliance for its operatives. With no clandestine monitoring capability, the occasional raid by Aria T'Loak's gangs never caused any major disruption in services.

It took less than a week of searching to determine the Krogan systems had, as expected, held no data of value, to _this_ search, at least. She _had_ found hints about the stolen figurine in several databases maintained by the batarians, the salarians and the Blue Suns; after cross-checking the reference points in several other databases maintained by both species and the Suns, she managed to connect all the loci to a batarian pirate, Kryllê Ghydgryz.

An expanded search of every batarian database she could find indicated Ghydgryz had suddenly become wealthy beyond any rational measure of the term when applied to a typical pirate, and the Blue Suns on Omega had remained exceedingly quiet about purchasing _or_ possessing anything remotely connected to ancient asari history.

Her breakthrough came from recent Extranet records on Omega, which hinted at some involvement by the Salarian Special Tasks Group. One of their agents, recorded only as 'W.P.', had saved a young batarian female from a possibly fatal encounter with a turian Blue Suns enforcer named Sevrius Ennilus. If known, the level of this female's involvement was undocumented. Salarian records hadn't simply been redacted – the information had not been recorded in _any_ database she could access. Neither the operatives' name nor that of the female had been recorded, an apparently deliberate omission to insure their safety through anonymity.

As Traynor was unable to speak with Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz regarding the illegal sale of an ancient artifact, she decided to arrange a meeting with this unnamed batarian female in order to learn firsthand exactly what had happened to the now-missing figurine. The easiest way to achieve this would be to contact the STG agent directly, but first she needed _his_ name. She reset her search parameters, narrowing the criteria to search for a salarian operative, identified only as 'W.P.', that had been on Omega for only a short time and had left in a hurry. There was a _lot_ of data to run through, even with the criteria narrowed down to just one person.

There was one last thing she needed to do before she left Omega – she needed to go to the bar where the sale had been arranged. She began digging through the digital records of all the low-rent-district bars that catered to batarians and turians. The search took longer than she had guessed it would. _'Just goes to show how many batarians there are on this bloody station.'_ Traynor let the program crunch the data while she ate some lunch.

* * *

Padok Wiks had relocated K'ath Din'sari to a small, cheap apartment in the 'foundations' of _Echo_ Ward; in size, it was even smaller than the one she'd inhabited on Omega, but it _was_ cleaner, and the rent was only a few creds more than what she formerly paid. The main batarian enclave was located immediately above this area, which was where Din'sari had found a job as a waitress at _Krieger's Tavern_, a moderately sized bar &amp; grill near the main passenger elevator to and from foundation level sub-alpha, its main door shadowed to some extent by the three story building across the boulevard.

The job, while quite similar to the one she'd left on Omega, had one distinct advantage – the clientele was generally nicer; the majority were batarians, none of which _ever_ complained about weak drinks – fewer still attempted to get 'handsy' with her. The few turians and salarians she encountered were by and large just looking for a bit of relaxation before going home for the evening. Many of the bar's patrons lived in the foundations out of financial necessity. A modest apartment on this part of _Echo_ was still considerably more expensive than most of the tavern's minimum wage earning regular customers could afford, thus they lived 'below'.

K'ath worked the evening shift six nights a week; her start time was when many of the people buying drinks were on their way home from work. She quickly learned who the 'regulars' were, what they did for a living, their likes and dislikes; as she became better known, the tips became larger and more frequent. She wasn't getting rich, but she was doing better than she had on Omega. More importantly, she felt relatively safer here on the Citadel. There was a certain amount of crime here, of course. It wasn't something that could be escaped, but she didn't have the same feeling of always being followed, either.

Wiks final words to her once she had a place to live and work were, _'stay beneath notice'_, meaning '_don't attract attention… from anyone'._

* * *

After an exhaustive search of the salarian databases, Traynor still had not discovered the name of the STG agent she was searching for – for all intents and purposes, he was a ghost. She _did_ have a list of all the 'low-rent-district' bars catering to turians and batarians, but the sheer number of such places would make a physical search of each one an impossibility, so she reset the criteria once again, this time to search for any batarian females (a rarity on Omega) that may have recently left their current job without going to work elsewhere on the station. She added a date range of three weeks, then sat back and waited for the search program to work through the data. Samantha was totally unprepared but pleasantly surprised when it produced positive results in less than an hour.

There were about two dozen females that had recently left their jobs in the three-week time period. After eliminating the fifteen that weren't employed as waitresses, Traynor was left with five murder victims that _had_ worked as waitresses, plus another three that had been assaulted and were still in hospitals. The last one on Traynor's list had simply not reported for work… no apparent problem or cause, just hadn't called or gone to her job.

Traynor's research on this did not indicate any problems at work, no confrontations with customers, no impossible demands being made by her employer. She had simply not gone to work, and was not visiting elsewhere on Omega. It was as if she had suddenly vanished into space.

Samantha next ran a search of low-rent apartments within walking distance of all the 'low-rent-district' bars she had discovered in her previous search, then cross-referenced the results with the lone female left from her initial group of twenty-four, and found something that garnered her interest. Despite the caution employed by the STG agent that had spirited her off Omega, he _had_ left a trace, as clear to Traynor's eyes as if there was a harshly lit sign pointing to it!

The non-descript entry in the financial records of a certain Huoth Realty group showed that, after _usually_ paying her monthly rent on time each month, she had inexplicably pre-paid three months' rent, or more probably, had been given the credits to make the payment, as her prior payment record suggested a person always living paycheck-to-paycheck. The paid-up rent would give anyone looking for her the impression she was still living in the apartment, or, if her absence was noticed at all, that she had intentions of returning, since few people in this area of Omega could afford to walk away from that many credits.

Samantha decided to personally visit the apartment in order to look for clues as to the identity of the young female. Learning her identity _might_ enable Traynor to uncover where she had gone after leaving Omega.

Traynor stripped off her SDU and armored up. Deciding to go light with weapons, she clipped a model 10 Stiletto with silencer to the pistol dock, then strapped her Butterfly Swords (hybrid 23 cm. long knives, actually) to her upper calves. She checked the power cells on her combination kinetic barrier/cloaking generator and her personal ME generator before docking them to her backplate, which she placed on her back and hooked to her chestplate before installing her bracers and shoulder pauldrons. For hand protection she pulled on the pair of specially designed sparring gloves her lover had given her _after_ banging up all of her fingers during a training session with their white wax wooden staves.

To finish, she pulled on a knee length, deeply hooded dark grey leather cloak, sized to allow her free movement with her armor in place. She put on (but did not energize) an infrared viewfinder – anyone looking at her face would simply see an amber-tinted visor across her eyes.

Leaving the one search program searching through the data for the STG operative, she dimmed the interior lights, opened the hatch and stepped out on the shuttle's port side. After a quick look around, she set off for the apartment district nine levels below.

* * *

Exiting the passenger elevator on the lower habitat level, Traynor quickly checked her coordinates and hummed in satisfaction – she was less than half-a-klick from the apartment she needed to inspect. Looking around confirmed there was no one close enough to notice her, so she energized her cloaking generator as she began walking.

After several minutes she was outside the door of the windowless abode; couching to one side, she energized her night-vision visor, readied her omni-tool to fire a _hira shuriken_, then hacked the door lock. As it changed from red to green, she initiated a five-count hold while the door segments retracted. When her count reached four, a heavy shotgun was fired once from inside – the blast going over and past her head.

She quickly rose from her crouch, moved inside and crouched again at the far side of the door. A shadowy figure on the far side of the room slowly rose from behind a chair and said, "Human… I can smell you. Show yourself." At least, that's what he _meant_ to say.

Traynor could tell from the flanging tone and echoing sub-harmonics she was facing a turian… since he had already attempted to cut her down with a shotgun, she felt no remorse as she brought her arm up and flicked her wrist twice to launch two ceramic discs of spinning death at the ghostly figure. The first shuriken struck him in the soft folds of the skin over his throat, just below his jaw – this cut off his voice before he could finish saying _'yourself '_. The second spinning disk buried two of its blades in the muscles of his upper arm; the neurotoxin on the edges caused total relaxation of his arm and hand muscles, allowing the shotgun he _had_ been holding to fall to the floor with a loud clatter.

The turian's knees quickly buckled and he promptly followed his weapon to the floor as the synthetic neurotoxin from each bladed disk rapidly paralyzed and killed him. Traynor waited for a few moments for anyone or anything else to break the deathly silence in this place. As it appeared the unfortunate turian was in here alone, she closed the entrance door and stood up with her back to the frame. Changing her combo generator to deploy her kinetic barrier, she cautiously approached the big turian sprawled across the floor.

She placed three fingers on the skin just behind the left frontal faceplate and mandible support – no pulse. She sighed as she reached around to her backplate, detached her mass generator and clipped it on the turian's utility belt; activating the device, she easily moved him to the door, where she placed him in a sitting position against the door frame. After retrieving her mass generator, she looked him over in the IR light from her omni-tool. _'Big bastard. Blue Suns tattoo on his neck. Hmmm. Wonder if this is the same one that made the attempt on the life of the waitress.' _ Traynor activated _his_ omni-tool and downloaded all the information it contained, then wiped it's memory clean.

She carefully inspected the small apartment, beginning with the small lounge/dining combo area adjacent to a really small kitchen. The refrigerator and food storage cabinets were both empty, as were all the cupboards above and around the two-burner stove. Moving to the small bedroom and bath area, Traynor carefully looked at everything, even lifting the bed for a look underneath. She finally got lucky in the bedroom's closet; there was a waitress uniform – a dress and tights – hanging off to the side in the shadows.

Sam slid the hanger towards her and found a fabric nameplate heat-fastened on the front, just down from the shoulder seam and to the right of the centerline – Kath?… No! _K'ath…_ Different pronunciation! Sam took several vid-photo stills of the dress with the name before looking it over again. The name of the bar or tavern she worked for wasn't on the dress anywhere, so she decided to do a quick search in the area for any bars employing a waitresses named 'K'ath'.

She remotely logged her omni-tool into the research computer aboard her shuttle, entered the name and waited. Traynor was at the entryway reexamining the dead turian when her omni-tool trilled softly; the bar truly did _not_ have a name, but at least she now had a location, _and_ it was within walking distance. After a final quick look around inside, she stood to the side as she activated her cloaking generator, opened and stepped through the door, then closed it behind her and locked it using a different encryption. She smirked as she thought, _'That turian will probably be pretty ripe by the time anyone comes looking for 'im or the batarian female. My new lock code will slow 'em down a bit, but not forever. Need to get this mess wrapped up.'_

* * *

Traynor waited in the shadows for the few people in the area to get further away before uncloaking; with the deep hood of her leather coat pulled over her head, her face would be deeply shadowed, her eyes virtually hidden. It had taken her only twenty minutes to walk here at a casual pace from the apartment formerly occupied by a waitress named K'ath – she could have made it in fifteen if necessary – as she expected K'ath had done many times by waiting until the last minute to leave her apartment. Samantha couldn't imagine having to wait tables for a living, or even for an operation such as this. She had seen how males in bars, of every race, treated the waitresses. _'Don't expect I'd have a job for long – have to rip the arm off the first bastard that grabbed my ass and beat 'im to death with it.'_

She walked across the narrow alley to the entrance of the no name bar; pausing in the door for a moment, she glanced around to get a sense of where everyone and everything was before walking over to a table in a far corner and taking a seat with her back to the wall.

A batarian waitress approached her table – reluctantly, it seemed to Sam – and asked in a voice totally lacking in enthusiasm what she'd like to drink.

"Whiskey, with a twist," Traynor answered.

"That'll be five creds, in advance."

Traynor flipped the chit on the table; the waitress snatched it up before it had a chance to even bounce, turned and sauntered to the bar. After a few moments, the bartender set a heavy glass on her serving tray, which she brought back and placed in the center of the table. Sam slid the glass a bit closer before picking it up and tossing the liquid down her throat. Sucking air through her teeth to help quell the burn as she set the empty glass on the table upside down, she ground out in a husky voice, "Refill."

The waitress remained standing beside the table, obviously waiting for Sam to throw another five creds on the table. Sam never moved – knowing her eyes couldn't be seen with the hood over her head, she growled, "Five creds for one shot is about twice the going rate. Way I figure, you're taking your gratuity as if it's something I owe you."

The waitress had started to back away from the table, a bit of fear showing in her upper eyes. "You don't get to set the prices in here, human! You want another drink, you have to pay."

"You must not have heard me." Sam's voice had taken on a dangerously hard edge. "Do you want to disappear like the one that used to work here – K'ath?"

The waitress's mouth fell open as all four eyes went wide. "You… you're responsible for… K'ath Din'sari's disappearance?"

_'__Finally!… a surname!'_ "I'm aware of it… didn't cause it. Now, my drink?" Traynor could see this batarian knew nothing of K'ath's disappearance, but Sam was committed to her charade, at least until the second drink appeared on the table.

The waitress backed away from Traynor several steps before turning towards the bar. When she returned with the drink and set it on the edge of the table as far away from the mysterious human as she could, Sam produced two credit chits and slapped them on the table. "Five for the drink, five for information." Looking at the batarian's nametag, she added quietly, "People don't just disappear for no reason, Sy'Efetin. Tell me what Din'sari was involved in."

Remembering the lessons taught by Dhevile Creg'falak on Mars, Samantha slowly tilted her head slightly to her left, all the while carefully observing Sy'Efetin's body language as she waited for an answer. The female was obviously nervous – she kept dropping her eyes to look at the creds, than back up to where she imagined Sam's eyes were watching from under the edge of her hood.

After looking over her shoulder twice, Sy'Efetin sighed and answered in a soft voice, "Turian, big one, came in here one night, looking for K'ath. She was working the bar, spent a lot of time talking to a salarian that came in afterwards. The turian left after a few hours; the salarian right before closing." Sy'Efetin shook her head sadly as she finished, "Last time anyone around here saw K'ath Din'sari."

Traynor nodded slightly, more to herself than to the waitress… the big turian had undoubtedly been the one she'd encountered in Din'sari's residence, and the salarian had probably been the STG agent. "Why do you think that turian was interested in a tavern waitress way down here?"

Sy'Efetin lifted one shoulder momentarily in an approximation of a human's shrug. "May have had something to do with a pirate and a materials broker she encountered here a few days before," she responded, then added to the unspoken question, "…both batarians."

Traynor spoke softly. "Kryllê Ghydgryz… your pirate. Word in the Traverse is Ghydgryz is now a wealthy… _very_ wealthy… individual."

The waitress nodded as she continued. "They appeared to be brokering some kind of deal, but I never got close enough to discover anything about it. K'ath was selling the other guy uncut ale after this… Ghydgryz… fellow left." The waitress smiled in spite of her nervousness. "This other guy?… he was really juiced when he finally managed to get to his feet and leave."

Traynor schooled her voice and casually asked, "This guy have a name?"

"Never heard his name spoken by anyone," she answered. "Sorry…"

Traynor had heard enough – she placed a fingertip on the credit chit and pushed it across the table towards Sy'Efetin. "Thanks for speaking with me." She finished her drink and stood to leave. A hand hesitantly touched her elbow as she moved past the waitress. "If you find K'ath, please… tell her I asked about her… hope she's safe."

Sam turned towards Sy'Efetin with a grim smile. "I'll be sure to do that."

* * *

After using a different elevator to go back up nine levels, she had carefully walked back to her shuttle. Once inside, she set all the exterior sensors to monitor for movement as she shed her weapons and armor in favor of her SDU. She inserted her mass generator and combo barrier/cloaking generator into their shelf brackets, then entered all the new information just learned concerning K'ath Din'sari into the data-searching program. Leaving the computer to process the data, she clipped a Suppressor to her belt, then left the shuttle long enough for a quick walk to the nearby Alliance owned tavern, there to relieve herself and get a bite to eat and something to drink.

When she returned to her shuttle, she was disappointed to discover the search program had failed to pinpoint where K'ath Din'sari had been taken by the STG agent – the program had, however, provided another avenue for her to investigate. It would seem that Din'sari, having grown increasingly dissatisfied with the way things had turned out, had gone to see an agent of the Shadow Broker in the few days prior to her forced departure from Omega. Traynor contemplated this revelation. If the Shadow Broker was now in the loop regarding this artifact, the Blue Suns _might_ be forced to sell it sooner rather than later, just to remove themselves from any unwelcome attention by the Broker. _'Guess I need to pay this agent a visit…'  
_

* * *

_**A/N:** A huge thanks to Desert Sunrise who, as usual, found the gaps in this chapter that I needed to fill prior to the upload – all the story concerning Tevos' meeting with Valern and her subsequent dealings with Anita Goyle were a direct result of our many discussions via Skype. Thanks DS! It's really great to be able to work with you!_


	20. Crunching Data

_I can't begin to tell you the things I discovered while I was looking for something else. – _ Shelby Foote

* * *

**_Foundations:_** The 'undersides' of the Citadel Wards, between the inhabited superstructures and impenetrable outer hull.

* * *

Traynor entered the building where Jipaw Zilorno, the salarian agent for the Shadow Broker, worked in relative obscurity. Sam had researched Zilorno, knew he had a krogan bodyguard with him at all times, so had armored up; her heavy handgun was an M-358 with an armor piercing mod activated – she was taking _no_ chances with any potential close encounter of a krogan kind. She had also readied her omni-tool with its kinetic shield hacking program; all she had to do was activate it, whereupon it would cycle through the 135 shield frequencies used by the krogan; once discovered, it would then hack the generator and reverse the shield polarity, causing its generated field to rapidly collapse, suffocating and killing whoever was unfortunate enough to be using it.

She was instantly glad that she'd taken precautions as she approached the segmented door; the krogan bodyguard was standing outside in an attempt to dissuade anyone from entering the broker's office – apparently, the agent did not wish to deal with the general public today. She activated her omni-tool's hacking program; when it trilled a response, all she needed to do was goad the hulking beast into activating his kinetic barrier to kill him.

"I'm here to talk to Jipaw Zilorno," she announced to the krogan.

His response was a growled "You're not going to see him today, human. I strongly suggest you turn around and leave before I toss you out the nearest window."

Traynor crossed her arms and stood her ground. "Not a very friendly reception from someone that's supposed to be in business to serve the public. Is this how you greet _everyone_ that comes up here to see the Broker's agent, or is it just me?"

The krogan had _never_ had anyone challenge him _this_ way, least of all a squishy human. "I don't believe you understood what I said, human, so I'll say it again, slowly this time. Leave. _Now_!"

Traynor smiled back at him. "Not going to happen, ugly."

She waited; as he lowered his head to charge her, she activated her mass generator and jumped straight up, easily clearing him as he bellowed in anger and ran through the spot where she had been standing mere moments before, resulting in his full-force collision with the wall behind her previous position… this sat him down on his ass, a position he had a bit of a problem recovering from. Resetting her generator as she touched down, now behind him and in front of the door he'd been guarding, she said, "Thanks," over her shoulder as she entered the Shadow Broker's office, closed the door and hacked the lock to prevent the krogan from gaining entry. Turning quickly at the sudden noise behind her, she came face to face with a salarian, Jipaw Zilorno no doubt, pointing a pistol in her direction.

"Why is everyone here so damned unfriendly?" Traynor asked, hands palm outwards to show they were empty. "Aren't you supposed to be in the business of buying and selling information?" Zilorno jumped as an enormous _'Wham-m-m'_ sounded through the door, no doubt the result of a massive fist hitting it from outside. Traynor smiled at the salarian and added, "I think that krogan feels like he let you down… I'd have to agree. Perhaps you need a bodyguard with an ability to think before he acts."

Zilorno lowered his weapon. "Who are you? What do you want? I'm very busy, so hurry up, speak."

"Who I am is not important; what I want is." Traynor cautiously crossed her arms. "I'm looking for an ancient artifact, stolen by a batarian pirate, sold to the Blue Suns. I need confirmation they have it, or if they do not, I need to know who they sold it to."

Zilorno laughed. "Surely you cannot be serious. You look like a mercenary. I seriously doubt you have the required financial resources necessary for me to divulge that information, human. I'm not in business to _give_ information away. You're wasting my time, which is also costing me money. You can show yourself out. I'm sure the krogan will only…"

Traynor interrupted the salarian by quickly taking two steps forward while reaching for his throat and his pistol; the pistol discharged as she shoved it aside. Her grip on Jipaw's wrist tightened until his fingers released their hold on the pistol's grip, allowing it to clatter to the floor. Her hold on his neck tightened just enough to cause his vision to go gray at the edges from lack of blood flow to his brain.

"I didn't ask you how much money this is costing you, because I don't care. All I need are answers to my question about who is currently in possession of an asari artifact, illegally sold on this station." Traynor pulled the struggling salarian towards her until they were eye to eye. "Do the Blue Suns have the figurine?"

Another enormous _'Wham-m-m'_ sounded through the door from the hallway. Coughing and gasping as he struggled to draw a breath, Zilorno glanced at the door, then looked at Traynor. "I'll tell you nothing, human," he gasped out. "The Shadow Broker pays me to be discrete."

"What would the Broker say if he learned a 65-million credit transaction took place in a tavern near here without the proper transaction fees being remitted to Aria T'Loak, and worse, that you were informed about it by one of the people involved? Do you suppose you would still be doing business for the Broker here on Omega?"

Zilorno suddenly looked nervous. "Aria wasn't paid?" Nervousness changed to suspicion. "How do you know this, human? Why are you even interested in this?"

Traynor let go of the salarian's throat and pushed him back until the pistol he'd dropped was at her feet. Pointing to the chair behind his desk, she said, "Sit. Stay."

As he complied, she quickly retrieved the pistol and said, "I'm _not_ a merc, nor am I in business to give away information... _I_ am involved because the sale of rare historical objects is illegal in most of the galaxy. The object I'm looking for is an ancient asari figurine, very rare, and _easily_ worth twenty _times_ what the Suns paid Kryllê Ghydgryz."

The nervous look in Zilorno's eyes gave way to grudging admiration. "Well played, human. Few of your kind would stand up to a krogan; fewer still would attempt to face me down in my own office. Perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial… arrangement?"

Samantha moved up beside Jipaw's desk and partially sat on its edge; this allowed her long cloak to fall away from her lower leg, revealing the black armor shin guard and the sheath with its heavy knife fastened around her calf. She set the salarian's pistol in the middle of his desk with the muzzle facing him and replied, "Personally, I don't care if Aria T'Loak receives her transaction fee or not, and I certainly don't intend to tell her. I just need to learn _who_ has the figurine and where it might possibly be."

Samantha had braced her left hand on the desk near the pistol as she rested her right hand on her thigh and continued in a neutral voice, "The Suns cannot afford to sit on that artifact after paying so many creds to obtain it. It isn't just the credits the _pirate_ received… there's also the finder's fee they paid Ugrolya Rarfenak. Conservatively? I'd estimate that would be nearly just under two percent of the sale price. That is a _serious_ amount of money, for _any_ race."

The salarian watched this human warily. She could have easily killed him with the hand that had gripped his throat, which meant he wasn't a target. "I tell you what you need to know, you leave in peace?"

"That's the plan."

Zilorno took a deep breath. "Word of this meeting cannot get back to the Shadow Broker, human. My life would come to a sudden, violent end."

"I have no interest in seeing your life at risk, Jipaw Zilorno." Traynor activated her omni-tool, entered a number of commands, pressed a control to execute her instructions then powered the tool down. "I just eliminated all digital records for this area from half an hour before I arrived. Everything will resume right after I leave the building." Traynor smiled at the salarian. "Station records have been modified to show a power outage, including backup generators, in this sector for that time period. It should keep you and your bumbling body guard safe from retaliation. Now, about that figurine?"

Zilorno sighed. "The Suns _are_ in possession of the artifact… I do not know where it is being kept. It may still be on the station – they _do_ run the Gozu District, after all. When they decide to move it, odds are it will be shipped by way of Cartagena Station in the Nemean Abyss."

"You met with a batarian female a few days ago. She's now missing… hasn't been seen since that day. Your doing?"

"No. She was healthy when she left. Unhappy, but healthy."

"Why was she unhappy?"

"She came to me after been stiffed out of her 'finder's' fee for the sale. She _should_ have been paid by Ugrolya Rarfenak… _his_ greed apparently overcame his common sense," offered the salarian. "I know _I_ wouldn't complain about a seven-figure payday."

"Sounds like a pirate in the making," Traynor agreed. "Anything else?"

"That's all I know, human. Most of _that_ information came from the female. I didn't ask for her name – safer for her, safer for me."

Traynor stood up, picked the pistol up from the middle of the desk and said, "I'll just leave this by the door on my way out." She smirked and said, "Safer for _you_, safer for me."

Sam hacked the lock and opened the door, surprising the krogan bodyguard in the hallway beyond. With Jipaw Zilorno's own pistol pointed at his head, Samantha said, "Your boss and I have an agreement. You're kind of useless, and I'm leaving." Briskly walking past him, she shoved the gun into his belly and engaged her cloak. "It's been a pleasure…" she called over her shoulder as she left the pair behind, then departed the building by a different route than the one she'd taken to arrive. Time to leave Omega, _after_ she talked to Xiùlán.

* * *

Samantha placed a call to Xiùlán from the secure terminal inside the shuttle. While waiting for the connection's establishment through the comm buoys, she idly looked through the results of all the searches she had completed during the past several weeks. Sammy abruptly sat back upright as the comm system came online. _"Sà mǐ! What have you been doing all this time? How are you?"_ Hearing Xiùlán's voice, even with the flanging delay created by the light years between them, was music to her soul, instantly relaxing her even as it brought an intense, sad feeling of longing.

"Didn't you know?" Traynor answered with a smirk. "I've been on leave here in the vacation capitol of the Terminus. And how have you been, my love? Have you had any better results tracing the path of this artifact than I have?"

Xiùlán replied, _"I've not had the benefit of your expertise at cracking encrypted computer files, so I expect you are further along than I am… That said, I've discovered some interesting chatter between a Blue Suns unit on Omega and an outpost on Illium."_ Yuán turned away slightly as she referred to another readout, then looked back. _ "The group on Omega wants to transfer some special…"_ here she imitated quotation marks with her fingers, _"…apparatus – I can only presume they're taking about the artifact."_

"Sounds promising," Sam replied thoughtfully. "Moving an asari relic to Illium makes more sense than leaving it on Omega, although…" here Traynor allowed herself to smirk, "…Illium is really no better… just has nicer clothes and makeup than Omega." Pausing briefly to glance at her notes, she asked, "Did you happen to come across the STG agent's name? Initials are apparently 'W.P.'; you may need to look for 'P.W.' instead." Sam briefed Xiùlán concerning her visit to the Shadow Broker's agent after talking to a waitress in the bar where K'ath Din'sari had recently been employed. "I'm fairly certain this agent is responsible for Din'sari's disappearance."

_"__Where do you think this W.P., or P.W… would take a batarian female with limited job skills? Din'sari __had__ to have left Khar'shan for a reason. Money?"_ Xiùlán slowly shook her head. _"She's sure as hell not going to get rich working as a waitress."_

"Unknown." Traynor thought for a few moments, then began speaking as if thinking out loud. "Opportunities for females on Khar'shan are limited. Education seems to be male-centric. Perhaps…" Traynor thought some more. "…opportunities… she may have been trying to… perhaps she was simply attempting to earn… I dunno, Xiùlán. It doesn't seem possible, but maybe she was working in order to attend school off-world. Wouldn't be the first time, and it'd explain her frustration with the turian broker, Rarfenak."

_"__If that is truly why she left Khar'shan, then my gut says her next stop would be the Citadel,"_ Xiùlán replied. _"Perhaps we need to search for recent arrivals, concentrate on any salarians accompanying batarian females. There cannot be __that__ many arrivals fitting such limited criteria."_

"I'm on it. I'll call you back as soon as I have some results."

* * *

Samantha's search of passenger arrivals on the Citadel took proved more daunting than it would appear at first glance. An entire evening had to be devoted to searching for an exact combination of a salarian male and a batarian female disembarking together. There were many ports of entry, with tens of thousands of people merely transferring from one ship to another.

Sam widened her search criteria to include private vessels, either chartered or owned by an individual salarian or by a quasi-government organization; again, the sheer number of people traveling in this manner slowed the search considerably.

Finally, after 29 hours, Sam had her answers… K'ath Din'sari had passed through customs at the Echo Ward port of entry; she had been accompanied by an unnamed salarian. The reason for not recording his name became crystal clear when she ran a back-trace on the small corvette's registration. It belonged to the salarian Special Tasks Group, which explained the difficulty in tracking the name of their operative. He had purposely obscured his identity in order to keep his client safe.

Traynor had the ward on the Citadel, but it was an immense area to search for one lone batarian. Looking at hiring records for the 22 hours after K'ath's arrival turned up exactly what Traynor expected – a bar named _Krieger's Tavern_, located in the outer section of the arm, surrounded by a batarian enclave. Good place to go if one hailed from Khar'shan… not so good for other races. Traynor sent all the information she'd gleaned to Xiùlán, with the suggestion that she travel to the Citadel as soon as she could _and_ that she be on her guard while she was there.

* * *

Yuán had hitched a ride on an Alliance destroyer-escort that was being reassigned to the small detachment patrolling the Widow relay. The ship had docked briefly at the Alliance secure docks on the Citadel, both to take on additional provisions and to allow Xiùlán to leave. She carried her equipment bag to her assigned berth in the 'O-R' housing area, where she changed into her deep jade trimmed black armor.

With a shotgun docked on her backplate, along with a combo barrier/cloaking generator and a mass generator, she strapped on her boot knife sheath and slid the 25 Cm. straight blade into place, the handle conveniently placed to allow quick extraction. Donning a deeply hooded black leather duster, she set out for the nearest transit hub, entered an aircar and set its destination computer for _Krieger's Tavern_ in the Echo ward – it would give her a chance to observe K'ath Din'sari for a bit before surprising her inside her apartment.

As the tavern was in the outer reaches of the Citadel's fifth, or 'Echo' Arm, the trip there took almost ten minutes. Stepping out of the aircar in front of the tavern, Xiùlán pulled the deep hood over her head, walked up to the door and entered; the denizens inside all gave her odd looks as she stood in the doorway for a few moments, no doubt because she was a human entering a batarian centric establishment. She stepped forward to allow the door to close, then walked with a hint of a swagger to the rear most table in K'ath's area of responsibility and took a seat, her back comfortably towards the corner.

The waitress – K'ath – walked up to her, looked around nervously, then asked, "What may I do for you?"

Xiùlán looked up slightly as she tossed a couple of credits onto the table. "Batarian ale." The look on K'ath's face spoke volumes, especially when Xiùlán added, "_Uncut_, please."

Din'sari nearly fell over her feet as she spun around and headed straight for the bar. After talking to the bartender for a few moments, he came out from behind the counter and stalked up to Yuán's table. "We don't like your kind in here." He moved to grab the credits still on the table and gasped as the human's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist in a grip that would shame a krogan, pinning his hand flat on the table; all four of his eyes went wide with fear as her other hand produced a straight-blade knife seemingly from thin air, which she raised over her head and plunged into the table between his third and fourth fingers, right where they joined the hand.

"If you don't want me to rip this arm from your shoulder and use it to beat some sense into your empty head," she growled menacingly, "you'll _withdraw_ that hand and leave those creds on the table."

Something in this human's voice told the bartender she was nobody he wanted to tangle with; he nodded in agreement and gently exerted pressure against the hand gripping his wrist, pulling his arm back towards himself, away from her, the credits and the black knife sticking out of the table. He hadn't realized how tightly she'd gripped his wrist until she abruptly released it – all the nerves that had been pinched began silently screaming a tingling chorus as they regained their freedom – he held and massaged the wrist with his other hand as he slowly backed away from the table. As far as he could tell, she had exerted no force whatsoever, either while holding his wrist or using the massive black knife.

"Now, I want a glass of uncut batarian ale," she repeated in a caustic voice. "Do I need to get up and serve myself?"

"Go get her beer, K'ath. Make sure it's the good stuff." The bartender subtly tilted his head to his right as he looked back at her; she stared unblinkingly back into his lower eyes and responded in kind, causing him to curse. "Shit, human. I think you must have visited Khar'shan. My apologies. I did not mean to offend."

Xiùlán straightened her head. "Oh, you meant to give offense, of that I have no doubt. You can thank whatever gods you worship that today I am in a mood to be forgiving."

K'ath brought her a glass of foaming green liquid. Xiùlán passed her left hand over the glass as she shoved a credit at K'ath with her right; the waitress failed to notice the beer briefly foaming up as she took the cred off the table. She only looked back up in time to see the human downing the contents of the glass in one go. Yuán set the glass down, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and got up to leave.

K'ath and the bartender both stared at her in amazement as she effortlessly pulled her knife from the table, placed her boot in the chair she'd just vacated and shoved the straight blade back in its sheath. Gracefully planting her foot on the floor, she faced the pair of batarians, said, "Thanks for the drink," and casually strode out of the tavern.

* * *

The mechanism of the door to her apartment groaned a bit as the segments retracted into their recesses, then groaned again as the process reversed. K'ath was tired, as was usually the case when she returned from work, and wanted nothing more than to crawl straight into her bed and sleep for the next ten hours. She had eaten dinner at the tavern before leaving, so needed nothing until breakfast. Padok Wiks had lined up a good job for her at _Krieger's Tavern,_ but she was still a waitress, on her feet for most of her shift. She believed everything was fine until the strange human female had entered and requested the one thing K'ath never wanted to hear of again – batarian ale, _uncut_. It was as if she had been followed from Omega by Ugrolya Rarfenak.

Worse, the human had shown no ill effects from drinking the half-liter glass of ale in one go. K'ath had spiked the ale as she was drawing the glass from the tap – no human alive could down that much batarian ale without showing _some_ signs of impairment – that the low dose of poison she'd dropped in the glass had absolutely no effect was even more unsettling. She set her shoulder bag down by the door, rechecked that it was locked and turned on the dim overhead light. Turning towards her lounge area caused her to wish the door was still open as she backed up against the wall.

"Hello, K'ath Din'sari. You're a difficult person to track down." The strange human was sitting in one of her chairs, one incredibly long leg crossed over the other at the knee, ebony armor gleaming faintly in the low light. The hood of her leather coat, itself unfastened across her chest, was thrown back, allowing K'ath to see the human's face. Short, tousled hair, midnight black as her armor, framed an oval face with eyes of the deepest ebony, a small nose sprinkled with freckles, full mouth with corners turned up in a slight smile. Her complexion was tawny… a warm, medium shade of yellowish brown, slightly darker than most of the humans she had encountered since leaving her homeworld.

"You… _you…_ should be dead! Or incapacitated, at the least."

Xiùlán smiled as she chuckled. "You did a good job of poisoning Ugrolya Rarfenak on Omega. I didn't want to wind up in the same shape, or worse, so I applied a counter-agent before I drank that pint of ale. The expression on your bartender's face?" Xiùlán chuckled again. "Absolutely priceless."

K'ath turned and attempted to get out through a door over which she no longer could control; Xiùlán had reprogrammed the lock to prevent it from responding to anyone until she herself chose to leave. K'ath leaned against the unresponsive door and started weeping silently before turning around. "What… what do you want from me, Ms…" K'ath stammered. "I have nothing of value, certainly nothing that could be of any interest to you."

"Name's Yuán, Ms Din'sari, and if you don't mind, _I_ would like to be the judge of what you may have that's of interest to me." Motioning to the other chair, she added, "Sit please… go on, sit… you have nothing to fear from me, I promise. Oh, and just so you know, your apartment _was_ being monitored, until I disabled the listening devices. Looked like the work of the STG," Yuán said with a smirk. "You can speak freely… no one will overhear what you say to me."

K'ath looked closely at this strange human, realizing that she held her head tilted ever so slightly to her left – a sign of respect among batarians. _'She knew exactly what she was doing in the bar today!'_ K'ath thought as she continued to watch Xiùlán for any sign of hostility. She slowly moved to the other chair, already set at an angle so her visitor would be facing her when she sat down.

"I'll get right to it, Ms Din'sari. I've been hired to look for a relic, a carving of an ancient asari deity. Shortly before you were transported here from Omega by the Salarian STG agent…" K'ath gasped that this human knew _that_ information; "…you encountered a broker of rare artifacts… a certain Ugrolya Rarfenak, yes? As I said before, you plied him with drugged batarian ale, as you attempted to do to me today." K'ath put her face in her hands as Xiùlán spoke. "He was going to cut you in for a percentage of his profits, or so he led you to believe."

Din'sari finally found her voice. "He didn't pay me a single credit! I helped set him up with a buyer for that carving, and got nothing but threats on my life from the Blue Suns!"

"Hhmmm… I have it on good authority the turian member of _that_ organization… the one that threatened _your_ life?… is now a semi-permanent but extremely unattractive decoration in you former apartment." Xiùlán smiled at the mixed look of consternation and relief that crossed Din'sari's face. "And I am also aware that you turned to an agent of the Shadow Broker for a solution."

"He promised he'd have credits for me in no time," K'ath protested.

"And yet, here you are, no closer to an illegitimate payday than when you served drugged beer to Rarfenak. It's against council edict to trade in ancient artifacts, no matter their origin, Ms Din'sari. And I am also aware there is no law on Omega except that which is decreed by Aria T'Loak. I _do_ have to wonder if Rarfenak paid Aria's transaction tax."

K'ath brightened slightly at this. "It was all under the table. The pirate…"

"…Kryllê Ghydgryz."

"Him! I didn't get involved in this mess until after he'd left the bar." K'ath looked down as she added, almost to herself, "Wish now I'd kept out of it completely."

Xiùlán nodded. "My sources tell me Ghydgryz was paid sixty-five million for that figurine. Once he had confirmation of payment to his account, he simply disappeared, left Omega, probably for Khar'shan. And the actual selling price would have been more, as Rarfenak's commission for brokering the deal was additional to Ghydgryz's payment, by just under two percent."

K'ath's mouth fell open in surprise. "That stinking pile of stropharia! I didn't get paid because it would have come out of _his_ commission?! And he made, what, a million creds!? For brokering a deal with a buyer I hooked him up with? That miserable _bastard_!"

"Looks that way, Ms Din'sari. So, Blue Suns wound up with the figurine, Ghydgryz got paid 65 million credits, Rarfenak received a so-called 'finder's fee', making him a miserably _rich_ bastard, by the way, and you, my dear K'ath, received nothing but _more_ trouble for your troubles." Xiùlán frowned as she stood up, prompting K'ath to stand as well. Without the disguise of her hooded duster, this human female was still strikingly tall – certainly as tall as any male she'd known.

"So, what now? Sounds like a dead end, for both of us," K'ath said in a despondent voice. "Only difference, _you_ don't have to worry about having your throat slit one night on the walk home from work. And that figurine will probably never be seen again."

Xiùlán grimaced. "That figurine will surface again, soon… Blue Suns cannot afford to hold it indefinitely. As for you, you should be safe enough here, as long as you maintain a low profile. Being in this enclave of your people should help…" Xiùlán smiled wryly. "Other races _really_ stick out here, in case you hadn't noticed." Xiùlán brought up her arm; activating her omni-tool, she entered several commands into its deep purple interface. "The source for the transfer I just made has already vanished, Ms Din'sari. I don't know what the extravagant Mr Rarfenak was going to share with you, but I just transferred 750 credits from a small, discretionary budget to your personal account. I hope it helps you get better established here. You planned on studying, which is why you left Khar'shan, yes?"

"How did you?… Well, yes, that _is_ true. I wanted to get a degree in cryogenic preservation. Fascinating field of work. I need to look at the schools here on the Citadel, since it appears I'll be here for the foreseeable future."

Xiùlán studied her omni-tool for a few moments, the deep purple glow lending an otherworldly appearance to her distinctive facial features. With the tool still active, Xiùlán walked right up to K'ath and waved her wrist past the young female's upper body before stopping near her left shoulder. "And finally…" Xiùlán took a step back while leaving her tool active, "…would you mind baring your left shoulder for me?"

K'ath found she had to tilt her head back to look this human in the eyes. "What?… Why?… I mean, I don't…"

Xiùlán held her hand up to stop K'ath's babbling. "Sudden sharp pain recently… while you were still on Omega, like an insect bite?" She produced a small med-kit from a pocket in her duster and waited, hand on hip.

K'ath nodded slowly as she unfastened the top part of her dress just enough to slide the collar down past her left shoulder as she stammered, "How… how did you know that? Just before the salarian helped me get off the station. He brought me here, set me up in this apartment, helped me get a job…" she clamped her right hand over her mouth as she realized what she was saying.

"That'll do. Arm loose at your side, please." Xiùlán waved her omni-tool over both of the young female's shoulders to be sure. "Yínán zá zhèng!" [疑難雜症! _– Gotcha_] she murmured to herself before directing quiet words at K'ath. "This might sting a bit, so hold still. I need to…" Xiùlán used her omni-tool to place an intense beam of light on K'ath's left shoulder. "Feel like something's still there every once in a while?" Xiùlán asked, as she placed a small auto-targeting extractor on top of the tiny healed wound she'd discovered. Understanding dawned on the batarian as Xiùlán activated the tiny device. "Why… yes, now that you mention… YEEeeeOuch! Damn, that really hurt!"

"My apologies… should feel better in a few moments," Yuán said as she placed a dab of medigel and a dressing over the minor wound she'd created. Holding a small, silver colored object about the size and shape of a large grain of rice, she handed it to K'ath. "Tracker… most likely no longer active, but I'll take it with me just to be sure… let it track _me_ for a while, _if_ it's still active… maybe scare whomever was tracking _you_. I may even be able to find out who planted it on you… possibly the salarian that spirited you away from Omega. Regardless, your life will be better off without it."

K'ath stared at the tiny object in wonder, momentarily forgetting she was partially undressed in front of this stranger. The human placed the opening of a small vial against the palm of K'ath's hand, allowing her to tip her hand and drop the object in so Xiùlán could seal it. "You can refasten your dress," Xiùlán said softly. As K'ath watched the human, she repositioned her collar and refastened her top. There were a lot of questions to which she wanted answers, but she waited silently for Yuán to speak.

In answer to the questioning look on the young batarian's face, Xiùlán explained, "Transmitter sends out a signal every eight to twelve hours or so. Not a very precise way to keep track of someone's whereabouts, unless the person using it _doesn't_ expect the objective's location to change radically over a short period of time. As I said, I should be able to use this to get to whoever is keeping track of your whereabouts."

Xiùlán placed the sealed vial in a utility pocket in her under armor pant leg. "I've kept you from your rest long enough, K'ath Din'sari. You should go to bed, get some sleep. I'll let myself out."

K'ath looked down for a moment before looking back up at Xiùlán. "The door?…"

"…Will work just fine once I've left. You've been _most_ helpful, Ms Din'sari. Thank you." Xiùlán pulled on her leather coat and pulled the hood over her head, turned and unlatched the door lock with a command from her omni tool. Just as she was ready to go through the door, K'ath whispered, "Paddok Wiks."

Xiùlán turned back at this and asked, "Your salarian?"

K'ath nodded her head, almost afraid to repeat the name, just in case he was somehow listening to them, despite assurances from this human.

"Thank you, Ms Din'sari." Xiùlán almost turned to leave, then paused. "Oh… by the way… your co-worker back on Omega?… Sy'Efetin? She asked a good friend of mine about you. Wanted us to tell you she hoped you were safe."

K'ath smiled for the first time since she'd met this human. "Thank you for telling me… Yuán. Sy'Efetin was my only friend on that gods-forsaken rock. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her."

Xiùlán smiled. "If an opportunity arises, one of us will let her know you're okay." Nodding once, she turned and disappeared from view as she engaged her cloak. With the door open, K'ath was sure she saw the human as a multi-hued grey-white image when she paused outside; she looked both ways before turning and walking away towards the elevator. K'ath's door closed automatically with its characteristic groan, the haptic lock remaining green. The tired batarian walked up to the door, palmed the interface and watched it change from green to red. As interesting a day as this had been, K'ath hoped to never have another like it.

* * *

Xiùlán took a taxi to the Alliance docks, there to see if she could hitch a ride back to Arcturus. While she waited in the operations center, she uploaded and sent Traynor all the information she'd learned concerning the STG agent's relocation of K'ath Din'sari, including information about the tracking chip surreptitiously implanted in K'ath's shoulder. Leaning back in a chair, she closed her eyes in order to think. Even with the small amount of information Xiùlán had been able to learn, she expected the figurine would next appear in Illium, unless the Suns…

"Service Chief Yuán?" Xiùlán stood and turned to see who was calling her; a Marine Sergeant stood just outside the entrance door to the inner offices. "Yes, Sergeant?"

"I found a ride to Arcturus for you, but it's leaving in fifteen. Docking Bay Delta one-four.

Yuán grinned as she picked up her gear. "Thanks, Sergeant. Which way?"

Indicating a starting direction with his arm, he responded, "Just follow the signs, Chief. You can just see the ship's nose from here. _SSV Sirocco…_ heavy corvette. Captain Ballard knows you're coming. Fly safe."

Xiùlán took off at a comfortable trot, fast enough to cover ground quickly, not so fast she'd be out of breath by the time she reached the ship. She made it to the entrance airlock in less than ten minutes and was cleared to board by the XO, who escorted her to the ship's guest quarters, which turned out to be an officer's stateroom. Once there, he left for the CIC to supervise the ship's departure from the Citadel docks and the jump through the relay for Arcturus, saying the ETA to Arcturus would be no more than ninety-five minutes.

Xiùlán looked around and realized calling this compartment a _stateroom_ gave the space more cachet than it deserved. She dropped her gear bags at the foot of the bunk and sat down on the edge, where she experimentally stretched her arms out to her sides. She guessed her fingertips were no more than half-a-meter from either bulkhead; the pocket door was just a meter from the side of the bed, which was placed right against the inner pressure hull. Xiùlán sighed as she swung her legs up in order to lie down on the bunk, perhaps to take a short nap… there was little she could do now but wait.

* * *

_**A/N: **Please know that each of you reading this story has my appreciation, and I wish all of you a peaceful 2016. Happy New Year!_


	21. Unexpected Help

_Help can come from unexpected corners. – _Tachibana Higuchi_, Gakuen Alice, Vol. 13_

* * *

**_Galea_****:** Species of fighting fish common off Armali shores; also the name given to asari capital ships ('dreadnought' in Terran) (asari)  
**_Ionsaí: _**Strike, or attack (asari)  
**_Shīnan_**_: Equivalent of an Alliance rank of E3_ (asari)

* * *

*** PRESIDIUM • ASARI COUNCILOR'S OFFICE ***

Councilor Raesia Tevos was taking her afternoon break on the private balcony overlooking the lakes, fountains and pedestrian bridges of the inner ring of the Presidium. She generally spent from twenty to thirty minutes each afternoon, sipping her tea and browsing through a few of the seemingly less urgent reports with which her office seemed to be besieged daily. Having nearly finished her cup of tea, she stood and stretched, arms over her head and back arched, detesting the thought of going back inside on such a beautiful day.

Picking up her datapad, she intended to take one last look at the display before turning it off and returning to her desk. Buried in a report concerning shipments of various commodities and equipment related to processing and refining raw Eezo ore into the high-grade product needed for starship operation was one line of text that was so out of place in this report it may as well have been entered in flashing neon colors.

Eezo shipments originating on Omega were destined for processing facilities scattered throughout the Traverse and Outer Council Space… _this_ shipment was destined for Illium, and appeared to have nothing in common with any of the other items listed on the manifest. Normally, she would have paid little attention to the Eezo shipment report, but the line of text, buried between two adjacent multi-line reports, was not about Eezo; instead, it mentioned an object in which Tevos was deeply interested, an object that should have never been included in the reports at all.

Hurrying back to her desk, she keyed the human ambassador's address into her comm terminal and pressed 'send' before she even sat down. She needed to talk to Anita Goyle, hoping she at least had heard something from the operatives combing the Terminus and the Traverse for a tiny figurine.

* * *

When the terminal trilled to indicate an incoming message, Tevos assumed it was Ambassador Goyle returning her call; the image that resolved itself above the terminal proved to be a rather unpleasant surprise. Instead of the agreeable woman from Earth, Tevos found she was wasting a smile on salarian councilor Valern.

"Councilor Valern. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

_"__Save your phony pleasantries for Sparatus, Councilor,"_ came the disagreeable reply. _"I have information, from highly placed, reliable sources, that the asari government is conducting an investigation into actions one of __our__ STG operatives has been taking to recover an item previously discussed by us in November."_

"As I recall, Councilor, it was _you_ that categorically refused to share _any_ information concerning either the involvement or _non_-involvement of the STG," she replied in a frigid voice. Tevos crossed her arms across her chest and continued with a frown, "The asari government is _not_ going to simply stand by in the hope that salarian assistance in this problem will bear positive results, or _any_ results, given your total lack of cooperation at our last meeting. If you have news for us regarding this matter, then proceed… otherwise, this call is terminated, Councilor."

Valern managed to look surprised at Tevos' lack of a conciliatory attitude. _"Councilor, the salarian union is only concerned that outside efforts to recover the object will compromise the integrity of the STG investigation into…"_

"…So!" Tevos interrupted. "You _admit_ to having the STG looking into this matter. Do you have _any_ results to report, or are you simply trying to ascertain what we may have learned _without_ your interference?"

_"__I resent your implication, Councilor,"_ came the indignant reply. _"The salarian union will certainly share any pertinent information with the asari."_

"Which only means you have nothing to share, Councilor! Good day to you!" Tevos cut the connection before the surprised councilor could reply. _'Insufferable bastard!' _ As if reading Tevos mind, Huntress Tenir quietly observed, "He'll never change, Mistress."

Tevos turned to look at her 'first'. "No doubt. Too bad for him… his people. If history teaches us anything, we can rest assured there _will_ come a time when the Salarian Union asks for _our_ help, Nizia. It will certainly be difficult for me to look on any such request with sympathy."

* * *

The call Tevos had been expecting came ten minutes after her unpleasant conversation with the salarian councilor. Tevos had regained a bit of her good mood from earlier, even with the anxiety she was experiencing from the information revealed in the shipping records. She accepted the call and was pleased to see the human's face on the monitor. _"Madam Councilor? To what do I owe the pleasure?"_

"Anita. Thank you for returning my call. I need to meet with you in person, preferably in a restaurant for dinner. I no longer trust that our electronic communications are secure.

_Of course, Raesia. Are you familiar with _Daedoardo's Sapphire_? It's a restaurant that caters exclusively to the diplomatic crowd, very welcoming of all races, is quite secure, and has excellent food and service. I believe you'll enjoy it._

"Sounds excellent, Anita… thank you. I'll meet you there at… say… 1745?"

Goyle replied, _"That will be perfect. I look forward to seeing you."_

* * *

Five minutes had not passed before Tevos comm unit trilled to indicate yet another incoming call. Keying the unit to answer, she was more than a little surprised _and_ a bit annoyed to see the image of Councilor Valern displayed once again. _"Counselor Tevos, if you please… I __do__ have some information for you that may prove of value in your hunt for the… object… for which you have been searching._

Tevos crossed her arms and asked, "Something you neglected to tell me earlier, Councilor?"

Valern didn't rise to the bait, instead employing a soothing tone as he replied, _"Our STG agent has discovered the whereabouts of the… object… you have been attempting to find, without much success, I'd like to point out."_

Tevos hadn't been a counselor for as long as she had by ignoring _any_ offers of help, no matter the source. "What has your agent discovered, Councilor?"

_"__It seems he has actually tracked the object of your investigation to a freight transfer warehouse on Illium; a copy of the manifest is being brought to your office by a diplomatic courier. If questioned, I will categorically deny knowledge of how you managed to obtain said copy. A pleasant afternoon to you, Madam Councilor."_

* * *

Daedoardo's Sapphire was in the heart of the Presidium's most exclusive section, within easy walking distance of the diplomatic and financial offices at the base of the Citadel Tower. The human ambassador was waiting in the lobby when Tevos and Nizia arrived; all three were greeted warmly by an asari hostess, who led them through a wide hallway into the main dining area. From there, short passages radiated outwards like spokes on a wheel, each leading to a secluded table within a small, private room. Nizia remained at the passageway's entrance to deter physical eavesdropping.

After inquiring about liquid refreshments for the pair, the hostess left and Tevos got right to business, handing a datapad to Goyle with the information that had caught her attention earlier in the afternoon. "I discovered a record of a shipment from Omega, buried in the normal mundane data concerning numerous crates of Eezo and the equipment used for refining the stuff. I never would have noticed it, except it was so _obviously_ out of place on the report. Since I discovered this, it led me to wonder if your agents have had any positive results."

Anita carefully scrutinized the datapad, scrolling the info up and down as she reread parts and compared them to other parts of the report. She looked up at Tevos as she said in a quiet voice, "They did uncover the fact that an STG agent, one Padok Wiks, was involved in spiriting a batarian waitress off Omega. He seems to be very dedicated… didn't hesitate to relocate this waitress when he realized the danger her life was in. She's living in the foundations now… has an apartment in Echo Ward, set up for her by that salarian."

Nizia called quietly down the passageway, alerting her mistress to an interruption. Their hostess gently apologized for the intrusion as she set their drinks on the table and took their dinner orders. When they were once again alone, Anita continued where she'd left off. "She works at a tavern close by her new home, up on the wards level. One of our agents talked to her clandestinely… didn't learn much other than the STG agent's name and that she'd set up the 'buy' for the middleman, one Ugrolya Rarfenak. The Shadow Broker's agent on Omega confirmed the Suns _are_ in possession of the artifact. We believed they would attempt to move it sooner rather than later… the information you have here would seem to support that hypothesis."

Tevos replied, "The information contained there _does_ include a copy of the shipping manifest, but it does not reveal the final destination after leaving Illium. Thoughts?"

A noise at the entrance to their hallway drew their attention. Nizia stood solidly in the middle of the doorway, one hand on her holstered pistol, with wispy traces of blue resembling mist rising from a lake on a cool evening, emanating from her free hand. A salarian diplomat, victim of his own tendency to over-imbibe in the liquid spirits, had the misfortune to stumble right in front of Nizia as he attempted to walk in a straight line past her. Fortunately for all, but most especially the impaired salarian, Nizia would make sure her target actually posed a threat to her mistress before taking any action. The salarian's brush with commando training sobered him slightly… he picked up his pace and hurried off best he could, his cloaca tight enough to crush a Thessian torthaí nut! Nizia looked at her mistress and smiled, shrugging her shoulders slightly in an expression of puzzlement she had learned from watching humans.

Anita made a face Tevos interpreted as one of amusement before she turned back and answered the question. "Not known, Raesia. Best guess – and we _are_ working to confirm that – would be somewhere on Thessia. Lots of extremely wealthy people, not all as scrupulous as you or me. Second best guess would be Bekenstein, next door in the Boltzmann System."

Tevos interest perked up at this. "Bekenstein? You think one of the wealthy humans would want an asari figurine?" She held her hand up to forestall Goyle's answer, as a beckoning Nizia was silently indicating their dinners were ready.

They both looked up as the hostess and an assistant brought their food in and set the covered plates in front of them; they also set refills for their drinks, collected the empty glasses and vanished as quietly as they'd appeared. Once the pair had sampled their meals, Anita paused long enough over her salad to answer Tevos' question. "There is one collector on Bekenstein that comes to mind… name's Donovan Hock, an extremely ruthless arms dealer and smuggler. It's rumored his fine art collection rivals any private collection found on Earth." Taking a bite of fish, she followed with a sip of wine before continuing. "Of course, there are a number of other collectors on that planet… place is literally crawling with multi-billionaires, but my gut says it's Hock."

Tevos was enjoying her dinner and her conversation with this human and continued eating as Anita added, "Still, the Suns have to get the thing shipped off of Illium before they can deliver it to… _whomever_. The danger there is Eclipse – the Blue Suns are taking a calculated gamble they can hold onto the relic while it's there; they invested a lot of creds to obtain it… wouldn't want to suffer the wrath of Vido Santiago if his 6.6 million plus credit investment somehow turned up missing."

Tevos nodded her head. "If the Eclipse find out what the Suns are attempting to do, there _will_ be trouble." Turning her full attention to her meal at last, she thought about all she had just learned. "Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, Ms Goyle. You may keep that datapad… I'm sure the information there will be of some benefit to your agents."

"Of course, Raesia. Perhaps we can meet here again, if you are concerned about the security of our electronic communications."

Tevos grimaced as she responded, "Concerned? Yes, I _do_ have concerns, since Councilor Valern seems to know _exactly_ what the asari government is doing regarding our search for the figurine." After a sip of Elasa, she continued, "I am positive there are no listening devices planted within my office or quarters, and Nizia and Dalis would sooner die than betray the trust I've placed in each of them."

Tevos took a sip from her glass before concluding with, "You'll be sure to call me with anything else your agents learn?"

"My pleasure." Tevos and Goyle finished eating their meals in quiet companionship, discussing the differences and similarities between their respective races and sharing reasons for their mutual dislike of Councilors Valern _and_ Sparatus.

* * *

**** ARCTURUS STATION • L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS ****

Yuán Xiùlán talked to Traynor as soon as she finished her vid call with Ambassador Goyle on the Citadel. "Get your gear packed, Sà mǐ… we're heading for the Crescent Nebula."

"Is this about that asari artifact?" Traynor was just finishing a late evening mug of hot chocolate. As close as Arcturus Station was to Earth, chocolate of _any_ kind was a rare treat on the station, so Sam had brought as much with her as could legally be carried when her leave on Earth was over; her stash by now was getting pretty thin.

"Afraid so. Seems our STG agent tracked it from Omega to Illium. The Blue Suns still have it, but chatter intercepted by Padok Wiks points to someone with a lot of spare credits negotiating to take it off their hands."

Samantha drained the last of the tasty liquid from her mug before asking, "How are we getting there this time? That's what?… a three, four relay hop? Don't know about you, but I seriously don't want to make that long of a trip in a shuttle, especially ours."

"The asari government is loaning the Alliance the use of the _Ionsaí_, an Oseros class corvette from their second fleet, to be our transport for this portion of our hunt; it's en route to give us _and_ our shuttlecraft a ride to Illium," came the reply. "We'll deploy and fly down once we're in the system."

Ever practical, Sammy asked, "Will there be a facility close by our docking area where we can change and eat?"

"Same type of setup as on Omega. Secure tavern, although we'll have to make a short aircar hop back and forth, for meals and personal needs. Clandestine support is being arranged by Councilor Tevos on the Citadel."

Traynor cupped one hand over her nose and mouth as she thought about what they needed to do. "What's the plan? Are we supposed to find this needle in a very big mound of straw and retrieve it out from under the noses of the Blue Suns _and_ the authorities on Illium?" Traynor huffed as she added, "We get caught, it's _us_ they'll throw in jail, _not_ the Blue Suns… if they don't just simply shoot us outright."

"Never known you to worry about consequences, Sà mǐ. What's the problem?"

Sam closed her eyes as she massaged her temples with her fingertips. "I don't really know, Lin. Perhaps… it's _Illium_, ya know? The asari sorta turn a blind eye to most everything but murder, and the surveillance is virtually seamless everywhere you go."

"True, but consider this… Eclipse is the dominate merc group on the planet, or at least in Nos Astra. They tolerate the Blue Suns, mainly due to the amount of smuggling they do from Omega. What they _may_ not tolerate is the Suns shipping that artifact through _their_ entrepôt without paying a hefty transit fee."

Xiùlán smiled as she added, "They're _leader_ is an asari, Jona Sederis, and the group is made up of mainly asari, with some salarians and a few humans. Sederis may not look kindly on the Blue Suns trying to sell off an historic asari artifact of such cultural significance... I don't think _any_ transit fee would be high enough. We may just have to make sure a few people in their organization know about the shipment. Should be interesting to watch the fallout."

"You think we'll be able to discover the location of the container and retrieve that artifact before it's loaded for its next destination?"

"Going to do our best, Sammy. We need to bring this chase to an end, soon."

* * *

**** ON BOARD THE IONSAÍ, MAKING READY TO LEAVE ARCTURUS STREAM ****

"I am Traeria Shoni, executive officer. Welcome aboard the _Ionsaí."_ Traynor's breath caught in her throat… she had seen few asari during her time in the Navy, and _this_ one was stunningly beautiful. Her uniform fit every curve of her body like a second skin, leaving little to Sam's vivid imagination. She kept her eyes focused on the asari's face as she held both her hands out, palms upwards, in a show of greeting and respect. Shoni smiled at Traynor as she placed her own hands palm down on top of Traynor's and bowed slightly.

After greeting Xiùlán in the same manner, she said, "It is nice to see you both have some knowledge of asari customs. It may prove helpful to you on Illium." Motioning for the pair to follow her, she led them into a passageway busy with crewmembers coming and going. "The _Ionsaí_ is just under 300 meters in length, so is not a large ship by asari standards; still, the layout of the decks and passageways takes some time to get used to, and visitors can easily become disoriented. I have assigned a shīnan, Luenia Phura, to be your guide during your stay."

Samantha had nearly been mesmerized by the asari's well-muscled bum as she followed her towards their quarters, so coughed to clear her throat before responding, "Your hospitality is most appreciated, XO Shoni, but please… there's no need to go to any trouble on our behalf."

Traeria turned her silver and copper-flecked eyes towards Traynor as she responded evenly, "Trouble? It is no trouble for me to provide a guide for you and Ms Yuán, Ms Traynor. _Trouble_ would be needing to send out several search parties to find you, should you lose your way while walking about unaccompanied."

Xiùlán had silently observed Traynor's poorly disguised, leering attention during their walk from the hanger and shook her head slightly as she said, "We appreciate your thoughtfulness, Traeria Shoni. I expect we'll spend most of our transit time in our quarters."

Shoni stopped beside a compartment door. "This is your stateroom… your home away from home as long as the_ Ionsaí_ is assigned as your transportation." Traeria laid a gentle hand on Xiùlán's upper arm. "Captain T'Lori and I have been informed you are doing clandestine work for Asari High Command. It seems strange that humans would be willing to assist the asari at all, no matter the task; it is my honor and privilege to have you both on this ship." She dropped her hand, mentally noting how well-muscled Xiùlán's arm felt under her fingers. '_This human and her companion are much more than they appear to be.'_

Traeria activated her omni-tool and made several entries; Xiùlán's and Sam's omni-tools lit up in response as the compartment door opened for them, causing Traeria to take notice and comment, "Purple? Serrice Council?" At a nod of assent from Xiùlán, she continued, "Those are very special omni-tools, _especially_ in the possession of humans; it is rare that even asari possess such high-end devices. Your Alliance Navy must think highly of your abilities to outfit you so… extravagantly." Looking from Xiùlán to Sammy and back, she asked, "They are linked to you through your DNA, yes?"

Xiùlán responded, "Yes, they are." A grim smile touched her lips, but did not reach her eyes as she raised her forearm to display the jeweled bracelet of the now inactive device. "This tool would quickly generate a collapsing circular energy field that would slice off the hand of anyone else attempting to activate it."

Traeria's brow markings rose in astonishment. "I have heard Serrice Council built that protection into their high-end omni-tools, but to actually see one…" The asari shook her head slightly as she got back to the business at hand; indicating the open door behind her, she continued, "This door is programmed to respond to _your_ omni-tools only… Other than myself, you two are now the only ones on this ship able to access these quarters."

Traynor's jaw dropped. "That is most… generous! Thank you."

After Traeria left them in the room and the door had closed and locked, Xiùlán frowned at her lover as she crossed her arms across her chest and grumped, "So, does _her_ ass look any better to you than mine does?"

Traynor at least had the good sense to look embarrassed as she stammered a reply. "I'm sure I don't know _what_ you are talking about, darling."

Xiùlán arched an eyebrow in response. "You know very well what I'm talking about, Samantha Traynor! A pair of lasers couldn't have been focused any tighter on that commando's buns than were your eyes. If you're going to admire other women… or asari… then don't be so damned obvious about it, please."

Traynor smirked as she answered the accusation. "I'm not _dead_, Xiùlán, and I truly didn't realize I was being that _obvious_, but you _know_ I admire a well-developed tush… seems that was only one of many reasons I was drawn to you." She approached her lover and slowly began sliding her hands from her waist to her hipbones. "I am in love with _you_, Yuán Xiùlán. How do you know I'm not comparing other… women, as you say, to you. There are none I've seen that even _begin_ to measure up to the standard you've set."

Reaching in, she brushed her lips across Xiùlán's, teasing them with the faintest touch. "Since _you_ brought it up, I would _really_ like to inspect _your_ bum, Xiùlán… preferably…" Traynor moved in closer, allowing her to move her hands down and around to cup each of her lover's butt cheeks, "…bare, along with the rest of you."

Xiùlán felt a stab of hot desire shoot through her core at Sammy's caress. It wasn't as if either of them had been recently denied the opportunities to experience physical pleasure with each other – it was simply the way Traynor used her hands to gently kneed and massage her ass, alternately gripping and stroking each side from bottom to top and across. Uncrossing her arms, Xiùlán wrapped them around her lover, hugging her tightly as she pressed her hungry lips to Sam's.

Sammy had what she wanted now – breast-to-breast contact – as she pulled Xiùlán's hips hard against her own. Pausing long enough to retrieve her tongue, she said in a breathless voice, "We need to check out the sleeping area, Luv."

Xiùlán pulled away slightly to look her companion in the eyes. "You think you're so damned _clever_, don't you. Fortunately, I happen to agree with you about the sleeping area… we need to finish this discussion in bed. Nude. Come on…"

* * *

**** ON BOARD THE IONSAÍ – WIDOW SYSTEM ****

Xiùlán and Samantha, having finished a light breakfast in one of the several mess areas on board the _Ionsaí_, had been guided to the closest exercise arena after changing into their workout clothes. Having removed their sandals in favor of having their bare feet in contact with the mats, they performed their centering exercises, a form of Tai Chi called _Neigong,_ side-by-side, matching move for move; after going through the entire routine, Traynor pulled on her sparring gloves and grabbed their nángùns; Xiùlán decided to use gloves as well – Sammy had gotten so skilled with her staff she had whacked her lover's left hand during their last routine before leaving Arcturus.

As they took the center mat, a number of commandos paused in their activities so they could watch these two women; all of them were endlessly fascinated by humans, Xiùlán in particular. Her extreme stature with her unusual facial features and dark-as-night eyes, in conjunction with her long, ebony hair, had every asari on the ship staring at her, prompting Traynor to smirk, "Should _I_ be jealous, Luv?" as she readied herself.

Each woman took a position at opposite edges of the mat, crouched with knees and toes supporting them, eyes closed, hands together against the center of their chests, nángùns lying on the mat along their right sides. As if they each had heard some unspoken cue, they stood as one, holding their nángùns loosely in their right hands.

The displaced air from each staff created a fear-inducing 'whir-r-r-r-r-r' as the pair began circling around each other, looking for an opening as they twirled and swung their staves in front of each other. Traynor went on the attack first, feinting to her right before instantly banging her opponent's staff centimeters from her right hand; Xiùlán responded quickly, hitting Traynor's staff three times in rapid succession before rapidly spinning a half-turn and raising her staff crossways over her head to catch the blow landed by Traynor, who was now using her staff as a two-meter long club.

Xiùlán executed a forward roll, spinning in mid-air as she leapt from the mat to dodge the sweeping attack that just missed her feet. Growling like a predatory animal, the end of her swinging staff caught her partner on the shoulder. Traynor dodged to her right and quickly jumped straight up before planting one end of her staff on the floor as a pivot, allowing her to cartwheel away and put some distance between them.

Sensing a quick victory, Xiùlán leaped towards Traynor as she regained her feet and pummeled Sam's staff with a series of powerful, two-handed pushing blows intended to drive Sammy backwards. Sammy countered Xiùlán blow for blow, the loud 'clacking' of the wooden staves echoing from the walls around them; making her move after the third hit, Traynor used her staff as a pole-vaulter might. Arching her body up as her partner came at her, she staggered Xiùlán with both feet, kicking her forcefully in the ribcage and abdomen. As Yuán attempted to reposition both hands together at one end of her nángùn, Sammy quickly cartwheeled around to the side and used her staff to sweep Xiùlán's legs out from under her, dropping her hard on her back, causing the assembled commandos to gasp at the violent take-down.

Despite having the wind knocked out of her, she quickly attempted to roll away, but Traynor was moving almost too fast to follow – she hit her lover twice on the torso with the length of her staff before switching her hands and using the large blunt end to lightly tap Xiùlán in the throat just above her collar bones. Breathing hard as she stood over her head, staff just touching her throat, she huffed, "I just shoved your larynx into your spine, Luv. I think you're well on your way to dying from asphyxiation."

Xiùlán, breathing hard herself, lay on her back, forearms up and hands in the air in surrender. "The student has once again bested her master," she panted. "Well done, Sà mǐ… very well done!"

Traynor grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet as the commandos hummed and slapped their leathers in approval. "You okay?"

"I think you bruised my ribs, but I'll survive." She bent over to lean on her hands, gripping her legs just above the knees. "Where in 'ell did you learn _those_ moves? I've not taught you _anything_ like what I just experienced at your hands!"

"Lì húa taught me, during our holiday at your home." She looked around at the awed expressions on the commandos, then back at her lover. Grabbing her shoulders to pull her erect once again, she reached around her waist to draw her close before hissing wickedly through her teeth, "However, your mom _didn't_ teach me this!" With that, Sammy kissed her lover passionately on the mouth, eliciting hoots and hollers from the assembled commandos. "_That's_ part of my prize," she whispered in a snarky tone. "I'll collect the rest tonight."

Xiùlán looked at the love of her life and slowly nodded. "I'm yours," she whispered in a tired voice. "Although, you'd be wise to catch me before I fall asleep. You _really_ beat me up, Sà mǐ. I pray my ancestors will forgive me… and my dear mother!… for creating such an unforgiving weapon!"

* * *

**** ON BOARD THE IONSAÍ – TASALE SYSTEM ****

The _Ionsaí_ slowed rapidly to sub-light velocity beside the system's Mass Relay and made an immediate turn towards the orbits of the inner planets. As Illium was currently at opposition with its sun, the _Ionsaí_ resumed FTL speed once its course was set.

Traynor was studying maps depicting the layouts of several of the trans-shipping warehouses near the docks in Nos Astra when the sound of the chime on their door lock intruded on their discussions. Answering the hatch, she expected to see their assigned guide aboard the ship, but was surprised to discover Traeria Shoni standing nervously outside. "Traeria Shoni. Please come in… What may I do for you?"

"My apologies for disturbing you, Ms Traynor. We have entered the Tasale System and are on our way to Illium. Arrival time will be approximately 2130. Captain T'Lori has asked me to convey her compliments, and requests you and Ms Yuán join her for dinner in her quarters at 1800."

Samantha quickly asked, "We'll be aboard for one more evening?"

"Yes… the captain feels it will be safer if you deploy and land in the morning, local time. Easier to obtain your landmarks and see what you're up against." Glancing around, she asked, "If I may, where is Ms Yuán?"

The door to their sleeping quarters slid into its pocket as a nearly nude Xiùlán came out, hair up in a towel with another around her waist. "Sammy, what the hell did you do with my…?" Discovering the ships' XO in their lounge, she took a quick look down at her nude chest, mentally shrugged her shoulders and said, "… I'm sorry. Didn't realize we had company. XO Shoni. It is good to see you."

Traeria knew most humans, particularly females, were rather shy about appearing in front of strangers in anything less than full clothing, so was surprised that Xiùlán made no effort to cover her breasts; interestingly enough, a pair of thin bruises could be seen side-by-side in the center of her chest, along with a partially oval bruise centered at the base of her ribcage. Traeria also took note of Xiùlán's bare arms; the massive musculature, tendons and veins were totally visible, as if sculpted in high relief under her olive-toned skin, along with the seemingly rock-hard abdominal muscles displayed below her ribcage. All of this ran through her mind in a flash as she commented dryly, "I might say the same of you. I heard you may have been injured yesterday…" Indicating Traynor with a tilt of her head, she waved a hand at Xiùlán's bruises and asked, "… Did she?…"

Xiùlán grinned as she ran her fingertips over the discolored skin. "Sammy packs a hell of a punch, Traeria. Not the first time she's left her mark on me… comes with being her teacher." Xiùlán turned her back long enough to remove the towel from around her waist and reposition it above her breasts, covering them with the excess length now dropping to mid-thigh. She reached up to massage the towel on her wet hair as she continued, "First time Sammy met me was in a shower on an Alliance base on Earth's moon. My entire chest was bruised from a low-power sniper rifle shot to my breastplate. Didn't penetrate, just knocked the wind out of me, but it left one hell of a bruise!"

"I saw the video footage from the exercise room today." At the surprised look from both of them, she added, "It's always monitored when it's in use. Lots easier to settle disputes and perceived slights. It was really interesting to see how members of another species fight _without_ the use of biotics. I'm guessing the skills each of you possess are the exception, rather than the norm?" Their smiles in response answered her question. "Well, I'm quite skilled at hand-to-hand fighting myself, and I don't mind telling you I would _not_ wish to be blocked biotically _and_ have to go up against either of you."

Smiling at Xiùlán, she concluded, "I'll leave so you can finish getting dressed, Ms Yuán. Luenia Phura will be here at 1750 to accompany you to Captain T'Lori's quarters."

* * *

**** CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS – ASARI CORVETTE IONSAÍ ****

Captain Agana T'Lori enthusiastically welcomed the two humans to her quarters with open hands, palms upwards. "Welcome, Service Chief; welcome, Serviceman Traynor. It is very good to finally meet both of you. Come in… come in! Dinner will be served momentarily. May I order some drinks for you?… Some Elasa, perhaps, or honey mead? Both are produced on Thessia… I believe you would enjoy either one. We also have a selection of fine wines available to accompany your meal." She looked expectantly at each of them.

Traynor answered shyly, "The Elasa sounds lovely, Captain," before looking at Xiùlán expectantly. "How about you?"

"I'll try the Elasa as well, Captain… Thank you very much."

T'Lori laughed lightly, the musical sound immediately setting her visitors completely at ease, and waved a hand towards her dining area. "Please, come with me." She shook her head slightly as she led the way into an elegantly appointed dining area. "You humans… so formal. I know humans put great stock in their formal titles, but honestly, I'm simply an experienced commando with an intimate knowledge of starship operation and combat techniques." Smiling at both of them, she added, "Please, call me 'Agana'."

Yuán replied, "Then, you may call me Xiùlán, and my companion is Samantha…"

Traynor interrupted with, "Actually, you may call me 'Sammy'… no one uses my full name except my parents, and only then it's because I'm in some kind of trouble."

"Very well, Sammy. And Xiùlán. I have heard from Traeria Shoni you are both very competent warriors." Looking intently at Xiùlán, she commented, "I'm given to understand that Sammy here caused some bruising to your chest and abdomen during a rather impressive sparring session, Ms Yuán. I would like to have our ship's physician take a look at you, make sure there are no serious injuries."

Xiùlán was surprised. "I appreciate the offer, Agana, but aside from some minor discomfort and the visible evidence of Sà mǐ's strikes today, I'll be fine. She tends to be over enthusiastic during our sparring matches."

Agana raised the brow marking over her right eye and replied firmly, "It wasn't an offer of aid, Ms Yuán. I'm personally responsible for the health and well-being of every member of my crew, and that responsibility extends to my guests, especially those aboard under the auspices of Asari High Command. The fact you have multiple bruises on your chest means blood vessels were ruptured where Sammy struck you." Agana paused to sip from her glass as a steward brought two glasses filled with ice and a pale green liquid; she handed one to each of the humans as their hostess continued, "I could never forgive myself if you were to develop a lethal blood clot that traveled to your heart, or your brain, while you were groundside, or is the human circulatory system that much different than that of the asari?"

Xiùlán took an experimental sip from her glass as she thought about what this asari had just said. Her response sounded snarky in her head, so she smiled as she gave voice to her thought, "Other than having _red_ blood, I can really think of no significant differences."

Agana smiled at Xiùlán. "It is settled then. I will have our physician see you after we have dinner, simply… to check your bruising… to be sure there is no underlying damage."

Xiùlán replied, "Very well. If that is your wish, I will be happy to comply."

The captain took another sip from her glass before pointing at the chairs surrounding the table. "Please, sit. Our dinner is ready."

As they sat at the table, Agana spoke proudly. "If the asari do _anything_ really well, food preparation is definitely one of them. I assume neither of you are sensitive to trace Eezo and are able to eat asari cuisine without suffering adverse effects?"

With an affirmation from both her guests, she continued, "Excellent! In that case, tonight's dinner is a warrior specialty. It is an asari fighting fish... the _galea_. It requires special preparation; in addition to biotics, it uses poison to assist in its kills, and care must be taken to not rupture the venom sacks." She laughed once more at the expression on the humans' faces. "Please, do not concern yourselves; the fish is tested for traces of the toxin before cooking, to be sure it was filleted correctly. I have _no_ intention of poisoning the first guests we have had aboard in months!"

Xiùlán smiled in response. "How _interesting_! We have a similar delicacy in Japan, called _fugu,_ which also requires special preparation."

Agana's eyes opened wide in surprise. "For vastly different worlds and cultures, I am always amazed at the number of similarities amidst our independent evolutions."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the steward, bringing their dinner and drinks on a large rolling cart. As she placed the trays on the table, Agana explained each dish. The first was the aforementioned fish, followed quickly by a large bowl of _ke'ah_, a type of dough similar to pasta, and a platter of various flavors of _uloth_, the asari equivalent of cheese. Each diner then received two plates; a large plate set directly in front of them and a smaller plate set off to the side, holding what appeared to be a pile of leaves.

"Let me demonstrate." Agana quickly picked up two of the large green leaves off the side plate and nested them in one hand. "The greens are called _yefal_." She promptly identified each item as she continued, first scooping a spoonful of _ke'ah _onto the leaves, followed immediately with a thin layer of _uloth_. She then added a generous portion of _galea_, and finished by topping it with a spoonful of a thick sauce from a selection that occupied the center of the table arrangement. "The various sauces have vastly different flavors. I would suggest you taste a little of each one before dousing your dinner with any of them." She quickly pointed to each as she continued, "This is very hot, this not so much..." She pointed to the one she had poured so generously on her own _galea_ and smiled, "... and this one is sweet and spicy, but not in a hot way. I won't even begin to attempt to describe the flavors. I have found the human sense of taste to be quite different from ours."

Both Xiùlán's and Sammy's eyes lit with understanding as Agana rolled it all together into what closely resembled a Japanese leaf roll. It was Xiùlán's turn to laugh as she exclaimed, "Our cultures are even more similar than you believe, Agana!"

Traynor, being a bit more conservative with her food choices, chose the sweet and spicy sauce; Xiùlán the sauce T'Lori described as 'not so much'. After tentatively tasting their chosen sauces, they each added more generous amounts to their own _galea_, rolled the _yefal_ around the lot and took a small bite.

Xiùlán, having a palate accustomed to the various dishes of her native land, quickly discovered herself to be a fan of asari food and drink, and managed to eat two of the asari leaf rolls before Sammy had finished her first one, something that did not go unnoticed by Captain T'Lori, who worriedly asked, "The galea not to your liking, Sammy?"

Traynor blushed slightly at the question, answering, "I'm just not used to all the flavors, Agana. It is…" she paused momentarily to think about her response, "… quite delicious. I expect the trace amount of Eezo may be altering my perception of the tastes. Other than the slight bitter tang, it is really quite similar to some of the foods I ate during my visit to Xiùlán's home last summer." Taking a sip of Elasa, she added, "Perhaps what I need is total immersion – a two or three month visit to Thessia once this job is completed – really allow me to sample all the different foods the asari have to offer."

Xiùlán chuckled, observing, "I don't know if having Sammy taking a liking to your cuisine is a good idea, Agana. You haven't seen how much she _normally_ eats!" Xiùlán's loving look at Sammy was also noticed by the perceptive T'Lori. "She uses a lot of energy when she's pummeling me with her nángùn."

Captain T'Lori glanced at each of them over the rim of her glass as she sipped her drink, then directed her next question at both of them. "Do you think you'll be able to stay together in the Alliance Navy?"

Sammy looked surprised. "What would lead you to believe we are… together?"

It was T'Lori's turn to chuckle. "The way you look at each other when you think no one else is watching." Looking intently at Traynor, she nearly whispered, "Your celebratory passion after besting Xiùlán earlier was widely remarked upon by the ship's crew, Sammy… some were seemingly surprised at your species inability to meld, to the point of expressing quiet regret that you can never know that level of intimacy."

Sammy spooned a bit more sauce on her plate, in which she deftly dipped a stray bite of Galea. "I have no point of reference to understand what we may, or may not, be missing, Agana, but our relationship _is…"_ Traynor looked at Xiùlán as she placed a hand on her arm, "… intensely intimate, and immensely satisfying." She delicately took the small bite of sauce covered fish between the thumb and forefinger of her free hand and deftly placed it between Xiùlán's lips. "To answer your question concerning our future together, we're committed to making our relationship work, Agana." Samantha said as she massaged Xiùlán's arm beneath her hand. "Regardless of our postings, which I seriously doubt will be on the same base or ship, I love Xiùlán with all that I am."

Xiùlán added, "My love for Sammy is just as intense. We're taking advantage of every minute we have together, just as if it's our last."

The captain was actually surprised at Traynor's explicit action _and_ her declaration of undying love, but she quickly recovered with a wide smile as she said, "I wish the best for both of you. It is a rare thing to know without any doubt that you have each found your _Siame_… that is a Thessian word, literally meaning _one who is all_… a loved one cherished above all others." Agana raised her glass and tipped it towards them as she finished with, "I wish you both all the happiness the galaxy has to offer. May the Goddess watch over you always."

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Concerning the hostess having to physically write down dinner orders for Tevos and Anita Goyle, _Daedoardo's Sapphire_ stakes its reputation for discreet privacy on the lack of electronic equipment that could be compromised by an experienced hacker._ _The small, tabletop haptic menus with remote ordering capabilities common in most restaurants are not part of the décor here. Orders for food and drink are handled by staff that are specially screened and vetted for honesty and discretion._

_The asari _Oseros_ class corvette mentioned above, while not seen in any of the Mass Effect games, is a design by a most talented artist living in Germany going by the handle_ Euderion; _I highly recommend viewing his artwork! For those of you interested in his visions for the Mass Effect universe (along with Star Trek, Stargate, Star Wars, Galactica, Babylon 5, Dune, Firefly and others), his gallery can be found where I found his vision of the corvette: (remove all the spaces and replace the commas with periods, or simply visit DeviantArt's website and enter his name in the search field to view his gallery)_

euderion, deviantart, com / art / Asari – Corvette – Oseros – class – Overview - 522443768

_Finally, my sincere thanks to _**Desert Sunrise**_ for the contribution of the asari-themed dinner depicted aboard the Ionsaí, along with the names of the asari aboard the ship. _**DS** _always comes through for me!_


	22. Finding Trouble

_Find it on the map, you can always get to it. Try to follow someone's half-assed directions, and once you lose the trail, you're sunk. – _ Neal Stephenson_, Zodiac_

* * *

**_Húdié dāo: _** [ 蝴蝶刀– Butterfly sword (_knife_ in English)]  
**_Ionsaí: _**Strike, or attack (asari)

* * *

**** CRESCENT NEBULA • TASALE SYSTEM, ILLIUM • NOS ASTRA ****

***BLAM*** Samantha Traynor grimaced as the pleasant dream she had been having abruptly evaporated with the sound of something hitting the exterior of the decrepit looking shuttle in which she was sleeping. As she carefully brought her torso up to rest on her forearm, she heard the same type of sound again – ***BLAM-KLING*** – not as loud, but definitely something hitting the shuttle's roof panels and possibly bouncing.

Looking across the compartment, she could barely make out an empty berth in the dim light, meaning Xiùlán was already up, and probably outside – hopefully close by. She squinted her eyes at the chronometer over the port-side hatch, the dimmed digital numbers displaying what to Sam was an ungodly early hour to be awakened, especially from such a nice dream. The noise hadn't repeated after the second crash of… whatever had landed on her roof.

After gingerly climbing down from her berth, she took a sip of water from a bottle hanging from the bulkhead, slipped into her clothes – non-descript civilian laborer wear in place of her SDU – checked the view outside displayed on the six-quadrant monitor, then exited through the port-side hatch.

Upon departing the asari corvette _Ionsaí_ two days ago, Xiùlán and Sam had set their shuttle down in the midst of just one of the many industrial warehouse areas located in the lower levels of the massive city. Their covert mission depended on anonymity, thus their dependence on a jointly operated asari/human support facility – part legitimate restaurant and bar – part illegal red sand supplier. Sam had questioned the latter description and was simply told, '_Shit's legal on Illium, but one has to have a 'license' to sell it._' That emphasis on 'license' meant a substantial monthly bribe needed to be paid to the main red sand import/export business group on Illium – the Eclipse.

Sammy walked around the shuttle in an attempt to discover the objects that had fallen onto the top; she found nothing on the deck around the thruster pods. Shading her eyes with her hand she looked up at the edge of the warehouse floor immediately above her location. In order to make use of the _Ionsaí's_ long-range communications ability, Traynor had deliberately parked the shuttle in a location where its roof-mounted antenna array had a relatively unobstructed 'view' of the sky – _and_ the orbiting asari corvette overhead. Perhaps something had been shoved of kicked from the upper deck. With no trace of anything that hadn't already been there, _'I didn't dream those noises, __especially__ not the second one!'_, she decided to stop at the upper level on her way back from breakfast at the 'restaurant'.

Touching the comlink in her ear, she whispered, "Xiùlán. Where are you?"

After several seconds, during which time Traynor grew increasingly nervous that something had happened to her partner, a whispered reply, barely louder than the background noise of the city, sounded in her ear. _"Looking for trouble, Sēn měi. Think I may have found it…"_ Xiùlán sounded a bit out of breath, as if she'd been running.

"What kind of trouble? Where'n'ell _are_ you!?"

_"__Can't talk… on the run! I'll text you."_

Now Sam was worried. It was almost beyond belief that Xiùlán had left the shuttle to go… somewhere, and had _already_ run into trouble; worse, Sam had no idea where she was, and without an aircar, couldn't get to her anyway! _'Shit!'_

Returning to the shuttle, Traynor reengaged the external cameras as she sat in the pilot's seat and started running a hacking routine on the system of surveillance cameras in her vicinity. Despite the dangers of its products – some might say _because_ of the dangers – Illium's reputation for safety came at the cost of near-total surveillance, something Traynor could quite easily exploit for her own benefit. She searched outwards from her location, first on her own level, then on the levels below. With no indication of anything amiss on the three levels below her, she shifted her search upwards.

On the first level above there were a huge number of standard 'dry' shipping containers, arranged in rows and stacked two and three high. The camera coverage here was not as complete, but she could see something… a figure, clad in black, moving across the top of one three-high stack, near the edge above Traynor's own location in the shuttle. Was that Xiùlán? Had she dropped something on the shuttle to wake her… to get her attention? As she watched, the figure seemed to shimmer, then disappeared from view. "Xiùlán!" Traynor tried using her comlink and was disappointed by the lack of a response.

Shifting the camera into infrared reception, Traynor once again picked up the mysterious figure. "Xiùlán, I can see you. What… or who… is after you?"

The figure went to a knee and looked around for a moment before reaching up to her head. _"Sà mǐ? Are you in the security cams?"_

"Shi! [是 _– __Yes!_] What can I do to help?"

_"__Look around this level… there are a pair of pissed off turians chasing me."_

"Standby…" Traynor 'jumped' to several different security cams, looking for anyone moving in the area around Yuán's location. She finally spotted one of the turians in the shadows between the container stacks, just two rows to the west.

"Found one, two rows west. Can you get to the level with an aircar, or an elevator?"

_"__Freight elevator. West four rows."_

"Okay, you need a distraction. I'm coming up." Traynor performed an emergency pre-flight and eased the elderly UT-47t off the concrete deck; she headed away from the parking area in a steep climb before spinning the craft 180° on its axis and leveling out at the same 'altitude' as the cargo yard above which they had been parked. She slowly approached the containers lining the very edge of the platform, looking intently for any sign of Xiùlán.

As she approached, she began taking small arms fire from the area where she'd pinpointed the turian. She decreased the shuttle's altitude in response, hoping to draw the turian to the edge of the platform. She still couldn't see Xiùlán, but trusted she'd know how to react to the turian's sudden loss of interest in her location.

_"__Okay Sà mǐ, I'm moving for the elevator. Keep him busy…"_

Traynor slid the shuttle sideways to the east, hoping the high frequency whine of the -47's thrusters would draw the turian's interest away from Xiùlán's destination. She activated her proximity sensors as she moved – wouldn't help anyone if she blindly ran into a loading crane or automated cargo handler while she was so focused on the level in front of her.

"_Sà mǐ! … in… elev… r. Set down… where… were parked… need to relocate!"_

Xiùlán's speech was garbled, probably by some sort of electronic jammer. Traynor had heard enough to understand; she performed a descending corkscrew turn to return the ungainly craft to its original location, where she gently set down; with engines at idle, she moved to the portside hatch and opened it after grabbing her shotgun. Stepping out onto the concrete, she kneeled beside the open hatch in order to provide covering fire if needed. It was only a matter of moments before her lover appeared from behind a massive, wheeled cargo handler, long legs rapidly putting distance between her and her pursuer. Her cloaking generator must have taken some damage, as her form pixilated between totally cloaked and partially visible with every vibration induced footfall.

Samantha rapidly placed her shotgun on the deck as she drew her heavy pistol; taking careful aim, she fired twice. Two bullets whizzed past Xiùlán's right side and connected with the rather determined looking turian that had appeared on Xiùlán's trail. The second bullet was superfluous… the first one entered the turian's head through his nose plates, jerking his upper body to a sudden stop in a cloud of blue mist. Momentum alone kept his lower torso and legs moving forward for the briefest of moments before his entire body crashed backwards onto the deck.

Xiùlán spared a quick glance over her shoulder as Traynor retrieved her shotgun and stood up; her lover slowed to a walk, then stopped in front of her and embraced her. "Dammit, Sà mǐ! This place may as well be Omega! I was minding my own business, inquiring about a shipment received from there. Big bastard behind the counter took offense… claimed I was sticking my spotted nose in where it didn't belong." Her voice turned contemplative as she finished with, "I don't think he'd ever seen freckles before."

"So, now we have to relocate the shuttle," Samantha complained. "It would have been nice to have had breakfast before you kicked that Blue Suns hornet nest. How many of 'em were trying to find you?" Sam climbed back inside the shuttle as she talked, taking the co-pilot's seat in order to operate the computer interfaces.

"Three. You killed one of 'em… I nailed another one. The one that fired on you is probably still up there searching for me" Xiùlán took the pilot's seat after closing the hatch. "Where should we go?"

"There's a landing pad two klicks to the east. We'll have to obtain a replacement aircar if you can't recover the one we had. And I still need breakfast, dammit."

Xiùlán reengaged the Eezo core and engines; bringing the shuttle to a low hover, she pivoted the craft slowly on its axis and guided it away and to the left from the platform. "What are you doing, Sà mǐ?" Traynor was busy inputting commands on her haptic interface.

"Attempting to erase the video record of everywhere you were seen this morning… lots of bloody cameras, lot of video of my favorite woman," she replied with a smirk. "Going to be a real trick to take you out of all the pictures. Need to keep you from being tied to two turians that were killed rather violently."

"_You_ killed that last one."

"True enough, but he _was_ chasing _you_. I expect you might have killed 'im as well if I hadn't been looking after your six." Traynor continued inputting code, hacking Nos Astra's security records in order to erase all the evidence of their presence on the docks. "By the way, was that _you_ dropping stuff on the roof of this thing?"

"Had to wake you up somehow, wǒ de ài [我的愛 _– __my love_]… couldn't reach you on comms, couldn't stop long enough to send a text."

"What the 'ell didja use? Sounded heavy, but I never found anything on the top or on the ground."

"Found some frozen CO2 in a broken container near the edge… shit was turning to smoke, so I broke off a couple of chunks, tossed 'em down." Yuán's voice turned snarky. "Not my fault it takes you so long to get outta the sack, Sà mǐ."

Sam merely shook her head and kept entering code as Yuán turned back for the cargo handling docks.

"Here we go… looks like a good spot to park for a few." Xiùlán was easing the craft into a parking slot when she observed, "This deck must have been added after the docks were constructed originally… looks as if it's halfway between the lower and upper platform, wǒ de ài. Might be a better location for what we need to do."

"Doesn't matter, Luv, as long as it's open to the sky. Any overhang will interfere with comms between us and the _Ionsaí,_ and I really need that ship's deep-space comms ability."

Xiùlán had the UT-47 hovering just centimeters from the deck as she spun it to face outwards. "This good enough, Sà mǐ?"

Traynor held up a hand, index finger up to indicate 'give me a moment' as she checked reception and transmission between the shuttle and the corvette. After a few moments, she replied, "Set it down right here, Luv. Soon as we can secure this thing, let's find an aircar, go get cleaned up and get some food."

Xiùlán chopped power to the eezo core and thrusters, dropping the shuttle onto its belly. As pumps and converters spooled down to silence, Yuán took a look at the feeds from the six external cameras. The area looked deserted, which was exactly what she wanted to see. "Can you call for an air-taxi, Luv? I could _really_ use something to eat… and I think I need you to take a look at my shield generator. Damned thing took some damage before I could drop turian number one."

Traynor input the request as she smirked at her lover. "Running for your life _before_ breakfast is never recommended… tends to make you cranky. As for that generator, we should probably just exchange it for one of the spares we have stashed."

* * *

It was several weeks of intensely exacting work for Xiùlán and Sammy, combing through lines and lines of data for the thousands of shipments arriving from Omega Station every day; these could be relegated to the computer program Samantha had created… the hard work started when the program kicked out several hundred suspect shipments each afternoon, keeping the women up late every night.

During this time, they returned twice weekly to the _Ionsaí_ in order to eat, bathe, and sleep in the relative luxury offered on board the asari corvette. Additionally, time they spent with the many asari on board furthered their cultural education; Xiùlán in particular felt a strong bond with the majority of the blue-skinned crew on the ship.

They made sure to set aside needed time to perform their exercises, particularly those that kept their close-quarters combat skills sharp. A small audience of off-duty personnel was virtually guaranteed to appear anytime either of them appeared in the main exercise room on the ship. On the rare days both were on the mat sparring with each other, standing room only was a normal occurrence. For the most part, Sammy and Xiùlán ignored them, focused as they were on each other.

Sammy continued to improve on her natural abilities, never failing to surprise Xiùlán with some newly honed, innovative way to execute an attack or defend herself against her lover. Being forced to adapt to Traynor's relentlessly evolving style of Jing Quan Dao had proved to be a plus for Xiùlán's education as well.

The spectators were especially impressed with Sammy's skill at using her húdié dāo [蝴蝶刀 – _butterfly sword(s)_] – she did not use these against Xiùlán; rather, she employed them as part of her exercise routine in slow-motion 'shadow' fights that emphasized precision movement at all times. After going through the movements once, she employed faster movements during the first repetition; by the time she started performing her second repetition of moves, the twin swords were moving nearly too fast to follow; each time she sliced the air with one or the other, an angry 'woosh' was produced, similar to that of her liǔyè dāo being swung through an arc.

They both had been to see Dr Jakira T'Lana for treatment of various minor injuries so many times they could have been on a first-name basis with the _Ionsaí's_ head physician, if Sammy hadn't felt it to be an improper sort of familiarity. "One doesn't use a doctor's first name unless they're family, Xiùlán," Traynor had told her. When asked why not, her answer was typical Traynor, betraying her upbringing on Horizon and the time she'd spent at Oxford. "It isn't proper form, Xiùlán. It just…_ isn't!"_

* * *

"I found it, Xiùlán! I found the damned thing!" Traynor pointed to one line in the middle of a list of mind-numbingly similar numbers used for tracking the seemingly identical shipping containers used by the freight forwarding companies in the Traverse. "It looks like there are two containers we need to find… numbers are 002180084224 and 002180084346."

"How can that be, Sammy? The figurine would not take much space… they could have tucked it into a sock." After a moment, she added, "It's a small statue, Luv… 40 centimeters… no way it'd need two containers."

"Diversionary tactic, Luv. Containers were booked aboard two different freighters, dispatched on two different days." Sam stood from her seat in the rear section of their shuttle and stretched hard enough that several vertebra in her upper back could be heard popping. "I'm guessing these will actually be in the same trans-shipment area… container manifest numbers are really close… less than 125."

Xiùlán's skepticism could be heard in her question. "It's really nice you know which numbers to look for, but how many containers do you suppose are on this one dock alone?"

"Honestly? Several thousand." Traynor rubbed her face with both hands and mumbled, "And before you say it, the answer is 'NO' – we're not going to start randomly searching the warehouses around here for those two containers."

"Shouldn't _have_ to search the entire warehouse, Sammy – just need to know the order of arrival. The way this place is constructed? Freight comes in this end next to where we're docked, and goes out the other end, right?" Sammy nodded her head, contradicting the puzzled look in her eyes. "First in, first out. These warehouses all have 'live' floors, so all these containers are constantly shifted as space becomes available for loadout at the other end."

Traynor finally understood what Xiùlán was trying to explain. "So, warehouses are quite wide, but not so deep. Freight handlers at the other end load the containers onto outbound freighters for shipment to their ultimate destination."

"Correct. Want to take a little walk?"

* * *

Xiùlán and Sammy, having inspected the shipping labels on numerous containers in three warehouses, were – not surprisingly – no closer to finding the two they needed to inspect. Knowing they were here in Nos Astra was one thing – locating them before they were shipped off world again seemed to be quite another.

Traynor kept watching for those two numbers to appear again in the query program she was running; it was if the buyer was in no rush to take possession of the figurine, and they wondered if either the Blue Suns or the buyer had somehow been tipped off regarding the Alliance agents looking for the artifact. It really didn't seem likely to Sammy, but neither was she counting on the anonymity of their little operation.

Traynor had left the search program running while she slept at night – if either of those containers moved, it would alert her immediately. In the meantime, they had repositioned their UT-47 several times during their stay in Nos Astra in an attempt to keep their constant presence around the docks as unremarkable as possible.

It was their last move that had drawn the notice of the Eclipse… a salarian, dressed in Eclipse armor and displaying a seriously suspicious attitude had approached as they were preparing to depart; Xiùlán told Sammy she would handle him peacefully.

"Who are you? What are you doing on Eclipse property?" If the salarian had hoped to intimidate the humans with his Eclipse affiliation, he was quickly disappointed by his exchange with the tall, muscular woman from Shanghai.

"Wǒ de míngzì shì Yuán Xiùlán," [我的名字是袁秀蘭 – _My name is Yuán Xiùlán_] she responded in Mandarin, attempting to look innocent. "Wǒ méiyǒu yìshí dào zhège mǎtóu shǔyú shí." [我沒有意識到這個碼頭屬於蝕。– _I did not realize this pier (dock) belongs to Eclipse_] Traynor gripped her nose and mouth with a hand as she looked down at her boots in an attempt to keep from laughing.

The salarian's expression was one of astonishment. "What language is _that?_ My translator cannot process those… _words_, human. Can you not speak Galactic?"

Xiùlán moved to stand right in front of this officious person, her 186 Cm. height forcing the salarian to tilt his head back in order to meet her eyes. "Nǐ bù dǒng pǔtōnghuà ma? Nǐ bùshì zài xuéxiào lǐ xué dào de?" [你不懂普通話嗎？ 你不是在學校裡學到的？- _You do not understand Mandarin? You do not learn in school?_] She looked around to Sammy for a moment, her expression betraying her contempt for the salarian's lack of education… Traynor nearly doubled over in her attempt to keep from laughing at her lover's subterfuge. Turning back to the salarian, she waited to see what the dumbfounded Eclipse official would do.

"I cannot… that is… now see here! You should not be here, _especially_ if you are unable to communicate in Galactic Standard." This… human female… was seriously testing his patience. He checked his translator to be sure it was actually turned on, pressed the 'test' switch to make sure it was working – an orange light confirmed that it was – then addressed Traynor, still covering her nose and mouth. "You there… your appearance is different from _this_ female. Can you tell me what you're doing on this dock?"

Sammy understood more Mandarin than she could speak, but decided to tell the salarian he was lucky; she schooled her expression as she removed her hand from her mouth and said one of the few phrases she felt confident in speaking, "Hǎoyùn yīzhí xiàozhe duì wǒmen liǎ!" [好運一直笑著對我們倆! – _Luck has smiled on us both._] This caused Xiùlán to smile, both at Sammy as she stumbled slightly over the pronunciation and at the salarian as he stammered, "The translator… is working! I don't understand why it cannot decipher those words…"

Xiùlán spread her arms wide in dismissal as she concluded, "Cǐ shí yīng gēnghuàn nín de zìdòng fānyì shèbèi… Zhè xiǎnrán shì yǒu quēxiàn de." [此時應更換您的自動翻譯設備… 這顯然是有缺陷的。– _You should replace your automatic translation equipment… This is obviously flawed._] Placing her hands on her hips, Xiùlán looked down at the thoroughly chagrined salarian and waited.

Defeated, the salarian finally managed to reply, "I will be reporting this to my superiors, humans. You would be wise to be gone from here when I return with my supervisor."

Xiùlán bowed as she responded, "Zhè shì wǒ de xīwàng, tā de shèbèi jiāng gōngzuò bǐ nǐ de hǎo." [這是我的希望，他的設備將工作比你的好。– It is my hope that his equipment will work better than yours.]

Traynor had to enter the shuttle and bury her face in a towel so her laughter would not be heard by the salarian as he retreated rapidly in the direction of the shipping offices. Xiùlán watched for a few moments, then entered the shuttle and hugged her lover. "Damn! I nearly fell over when you told him luck had smiled on both of you! That was _really_ well done, Sammy!" Xiùlán kissed Sammy on the forehead as she gave her a little squeeze. "We need to work on you pronunciation a bit, but still… very well done!"

"Thanks, Luv. Guess we need to pack up and go to our next docking area. I think I need to hack the cameras at our next stop – make them 'think' we're not sitting there."

"Sounds good. Let's finish loading up so we can move before that little toad returns with enforcement."

* * *

Traynor had been as good as her word, hacking into the network of cameras that were aimed at the small area in which she had parked the UT-47. The feed being viewed by whoever officially monitored the video showed an empty platform, even as the time and date displayed at the bottom continued to increment. The view that Traynor received was unedited, showing the shuttle and the various comings and goings of herself and Xiùlán.

The two containers Traynor had been monitoring were finally going to be moved; they were going to be loaded onto a small, salarian owned freighter named _Laedar Medicus._

Surprisingly, the final destination was listed as Zorya, in the Faia system of the Ismar Frontier. After Xiùlán spoke to Haedi T'Gabri, the navigator aboard the _Ionsaí_, she discussed the transfer with Traynor. "Zorya is a garden world controlled by the Blue Suns," Xiùlán explained, "so it _does_ make a bit of sense the figurine would be shipped there. It's still not going to the ultimate buyer, so it probably won't be there for long, but… it may be less of a chore to retrieve it there than on this…" she waved her hands to indicate the docks around them, "… beehive of activity. On the other hand, if we _do_ somehow find those containers before they're loaded for shipment, can't we just use our cloaks and take the figurine?" Xiùlán wasn't ready to chase their quarry to a Blue Suns controlled planet; at least Illium was nominally an asari colony.

Traynor sighed in response. "Wish it were that simple, Luv. All the perimeter guards are batarian… they can see our infrared emissions, even with active cloaks. One or the other of us would have to hack the container locks in full view of the guards, and I'd bet a month's pay there are 'screamers' wired into the container lids "

"Damn. Those guys never make things easy," Xiùlán responded glumly.

Traynor studied the star charts used for plotting intra-system routes for freight vessels. "The _Laedar Medicus_ hasn't been loaded yet, and it's scheduled to depart in six hours. Give me a minute… I'll hack the camera feeds from that dock, take a look." While studying the layout of the yard and guard positions, Sammy came across a copy of a bulletin posted at the main entry gate. "Look at this, Luv. Casual laborers are needed to help load that freighter," Traynor said. "Feel like planting a bug or two?"

"They're not going to hire us on the spot, Sammy. We'd need applications, physicals, referrals, residency… we don't…" Xiùlán's protests faded away as Sammy held up a datapad.

"It's all right here, Luv. Get your grubbys on… we have a freighter to help load."

* * *

Xiùlán and Sammy had both been hired to help load the salarian freighter _Laedar Medicus,_ bound for Zorya with the two shipping containers they'd been watching almost since arriving on Illium. The sheer volume of freight being moved on a daily basis made it impossible to actually find either of the containers, even knowing the numbers assigned to them on Omega, but if either of the women handled them while loading was being done, it would be quick work to attach a tracker that would make reacquiring them on Zorya a lot easier.

To that end, Sammy had put together four trackers – two of these she kept, two she gave to Xiùlán. "Don't know if either of us will handle them, Luv. Maybe I'll have to move both of them, maybe you will… we should be covered, either way. Place one on the lower side of the container if you load it on the ship."

Yuán wanted to know, "What happens if we only get to one of them?"

Sammy sighed as she looked at the containers waiting for loading. "Then one will have to be enough… the other pod will not be far. Better to track one than none," she finished with a smirk. "Let's get to it."

They joined several asari and a pair of salarians in moving containers under the direction of the _Laedar Medicus'_ salarian cargo master, who stood just outside the ship's cargo bay entrance and checked off container numbers from a shipping manifest loaded on his datapad; placement of the various sized pods was directed by several crew members inside, all with datapads that presumably had the manifest loaded for reference.

Traynor took a chance once inside the ship, engaging her cloaking shield after moving several containers aboard. After performing a hasty inspection of a group on the port side, she de-cloaked, went back out to the dock and grabbed another container to load.

Xiùlán touched the comlink in her ear while rubbing the side of her face and whispered, "I just loaded 0084346, Sà mǐ. 84224 is probably close by." As she dropped her hand, a batarian crewman approached her, planted himself in her path and said, "What are you doing, human?"

"Moving cargo. What are you doing?"

The batarian made the mistake of grabbing Xiùlán's left arm as he said, "I don't like your looks, human. I think you should leave."

"Not until I get paid, you smelly bag of stropharia." Xiùlán grabbed the wrist of the arm holding her and exerted a bit of pressure with her fingertips, causing his eyes to go wide. As the batarian's hand went numb from the woman's grip, she twisted his arm around, forcing him to turn away from her to ease the pain. With her free hand she grabbed the back of his neck, long fingers and thumb easily spanning a third of the circumference. The batarian tried to scream as she applied crushing pressure to his neck, but it was too late… arteries supplying blood to his brain ruptured from the combined force of his own blood pressure and the pinpoint crushing force of Xiùlán's thumb and fingertips on opposite sides of his spine. She eased him to the decking as she hollered, "Man down over here! We need a medical tech!"

A salarian dressed in an Eclipse themed uniform appeared with a first-aid kit; after scanning the fallen batarian with his omni-tool, he slowly stood and motioned for a couple of the ships' crewmen to bring a stretcher, before looking at Xiùlán and asking, "What happened here, human?"

Innocent expression firmly in place, she replied, "I really don't know. One minute he was standing there telling me what a great job I was doing; next I know he's turning away and… falling to the deck. I've never seen anything like it!" Xiùlán looked at the batarian on the deck with mock concern and asked, "Will he be okay?"

The salarian didn't appear totally convinced. "I didn't see what happened here, human, but I sincerely doubt Dha'kerr just dropped dead."

Xiùlán managed to twist her facial expression up as if she was going to start crying. "He's dead? How can that be? He was just standing here talking…" Xiùlán put her hands on either side of her face to cover eyes and mouth while surreptitiously using a thumb to key on her comlink. "Sà mǐ," she whispered into her hand. "Cameras."

The salarian crewmen loaded the dead batarian onto the stretcher, activated the tiny mass effect core to lighten the load and hauled him off the ship. The salarian working for Eclipse looked at Yuán with a sour expression as he said, "People don't just drop dead for no reason, human. Something _must_ have happened here… something _you're_ not sharing with me."

"Are you implying I had something to do with that batarian's death?" Xiùlán's expression went from feigned sadness to innocence to righteous indignation in the blink of an eye. "You will want to be careful, salarian… _very_… careful, with your baseless accusations. You are not an officer on this ship, and I seriously doubt you have any real authority on these docks."

The salarian's mouth fell open in astonishment. No one had _ever_ questioned his authority, especially not some lowlife human laborer! "Now listen here, human, I won't…"

"… you won't what?" Xiùlán leaned in slightly and got right in his face, something she knew would really make him mad as she hissed through clenched teeth, "If you leave now, I may not have to rip those horns from your head and feed them to you!"

Mouth still open, eyes wide in bewilderment, the Eclipse salarian took a step back from Xiùlán as he pondered the best course of action. Studying her face… her eyes… sent a chill down his spine; this brash human with no weapons or armor was threatening him with physical harm, and he suddenly had no doubt she would rip him apart with her bare hands if he didn't back away from her… carefully.

Yuán drew herself up to her full height as she continued to scowl at the troublesome salarian. Evidently deciding that pursuing the matter alone would be hazardous to his health, he turned and walked out of the ships' cargo bay as nonchalantly as he could, intending to call for Eclipse backup.

"Sà mǐ, did you get the other container?" Xiùlán carried on as if nothing had happened.

"Shit!" Traynor had heard the entire exchange through Xiùlán's comlink. "Did you kill that batarian?"

"Not deliberately. Dhevile Creg'falak _did_ say the blood vessels in their necks are rather susceptible to external pressure… our Mr Dha'kerr here must have had really weak blood vessels. I didn't grab him that hard."

"Dammit! You know a postmortem inspection will show bruising on his neck."

"Can't worry about that right now, my love. Did you get the other pod, and did you hack the cameras?"

"Yes to both questions," Traynor replied, her voice uncharacteristically flat. "Now get out of there – we need to get the 'ell off this dock, now! That little salarian you intimidated is attempting to call for backup… I'm blocking his transmissions, but we need to get back to the shuttle so we can return to the _Ionsaí_ and get positioned to follow the _Laedar Medicus_."

"Okay, Sà mǐ, I'm on my way." Xiùlán worked her way past the scurrying workers and the mass of containers being brought into the ship. As soon as she was in the main yard, she walked a circuitous path out to the main gate, which was guarded by a pair of batarians, both wearing Eclipse armor overlaid with electronically generated tech armor. Fortunately, they had apparently not been informed by the salarian of his suspicions regarding the sudden death of one of their brethren, and they were not required to prevent anyone from leaving the docks.

Traynor was already outside waiting for her; as soon as they were out of sight behind some heavy equipment, they relaxed just a bit while Sammy checked the signals being generated by the trackers. "Both signals are five by five, Luv… should be no trouble picking 'em up once they're unloaded on Zorya."

Xiùlán nodded. "Sounds great. Let's get back to the shuttle. We can send a report to the asari councilor and our ambassador on the Citadel."

* * *

The _Ionsaí_ had jumped to Aquila in the Ismar Frontier, clandestinely shadowing the salarian freighter _Laedar Medicus_ on its trip to Zorya, a garden world in the Faia system. The world was home to the Blue Suns, with headquarters in the colony capital of Thun.

The diminutive transmitters placed on each target container were working perfectly and the small freighter continuously emitted multiple, easy to follow tracking signals – Samantha knew they only needed to follow one of them, but until the object of their extensive search could be definitively narrowed to one or the other of the two containers, they dared not lose track of either one.

Traynor was seated in a chair at the weapons control consoles on the _Ionsaí's_ Command Bridge, watching the view screens alongside ship's XO Traeria Shoni. It was a rare honor for _anyone_ to be allowed an inflight seat on the Bridge of an asari warship; that Traeria had granted a human the privilege of observing their operations while underway spoke to the positive impression the human women had made on the asari crew.

Navigator Haedi T'Gabri stretched out an arm and pointed to a small dot that had appeared on her screen. She had the computer place a circle around it so they wouldn't lose it among all the ships coming and going near the Mass Relay… it's IFF transponder code definitely identified it as the _Laedar Medicus._ Haedi looked at Traynor and said, "Since we already know it's going to Zorya, wouldn't it be more efficient to simply jump to Zorya, scope things out and wait for the _Laedar Medicus_ to arrive?"

Traynor grinned in response. "It would… but their flight plan _could_ be a diversion. If they don't arrive at Zorya shortly after our own arrival, we'd have no way of knowing where they went."

Haedi fixed her deep green, amber flecked eyes on the young human beside her and replied, "Shadow them through the relay to make sure… we can most certainly do that, Ms Traynor."

* * *

**** ZORYA, AQUILA, ISMAR FRONTIER – 0235 LOCAL TIME ****

The _Laedar Medicus_ had offloaded only some of its cargo, including the pair of containers they were tracking, before departing for its next destination in the Minos Wasteland – Traynor had confirmed the signals from the trackers were actually coming from the planet beneath them. What they could _not_ confirm from orbit was the next destination for the two pods. The consensus among Yuán, Traynor and the command staff of the _Ionsaí_ was that whoever was paying the Suns for the figurine certainly did not live on Zorya – there were a number of major cities on a number of planets where the 'well-heeled' could live without having to endure the persistent problems brought on by the choking pollen and spores circulating in the air close to the surface, or the political violence, piracy, and drugs plaguing the planet in spite of, or perhaps because of, the presence of the Blue Suns in every colony.

Based on advice from XO Traeria Shoni, Xiùlán and Sammy had been ferried to the outskirts of the small freight forwarding yard by a pair of _Ionsaí_ commandos piloting their own shuttlecraft; Traeria felt the appearance of the human's beat up looking UT-47 would garner unwelcome notice from the turians guarding the yard.

The tangle of trees and undergrowth choking the area had been cleared to bare dirt by heavy machinery around the perimeter fence, leaving no cover of any kind for 20 to 25 meters between the fence and undergrowth. After carefully observing the area from various angles, the humans energized their cloaking shields and carefully made their way to the rear corner of the compound closest to where they detected the signals coming from the two containers.

Traynor was close enough to the main office to hack into the computer responsible for matching freight to appropriate transports, taking into consideration volume capacities, speed capabilities and schedule requirements. What she discovered was almost more than she could believe. "They're moving 'em back to Omega, Luv! What the bloody 'ell?"

"Are you sure that's right, Sà mǐ? Why ship the thing out of Omega only to return it? Doesn't make sense!"

"That's the point, I guess. Blue Suns don't _have_ to make sense. They're all about making creds, however they can." Traynor shut down her omni-tool and said, "Come on… let's get back to the _Ionsaí._ I have the name of the freighter and scheduled departure time. We need to take a good long look at a system map."

Yuán led the way back to the edge of the forest; once hidden from direct view of the freight yard, they de-cloaked and began walking back to their rendezvous point. "Why back to Omega, Sà mǐ? Widow system is a straight shot from here, and I really felt the carving would end up in some billionaire's collection on Bekenstein."

"I feel like we're missing something, Luv. I need to look through some of my old notes."

* * *

**** ON BOARD THE IONSAÍ, ISMAR FRONTIER ****

Traynor sat with navigator Haedi T'Gabri in her modest compartment near the _Ionsaí's_ Bridge; they were looking at star charts depicting the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems, areas of space through which any freighter headed to Omega would have to travel. As soon as she saw the chart depicting the space/time corridor between Ismar Frontier and Omega, Traynor realized what the Suns were doing and called Xiùlán to join them.

"Cartagena Station," she blurted out when Xiùlán entered. "It's the only logical reason they could have for seemingly shipping those containers back to Omega. Whoever is buying that artifact will take delivery in the Nemean Abyss."

Yuán could see the logic behind Traynor's reasoning. "So, all we really need to do is follow the freighter when it slips out at the booster relay." Thinking about the last time she had been on that station, she added thoughtfully, "We need to get Griffen Buchanan to assist us on this. I'll put in the request, then talk to XO Shoni. Looks like we'll need to make a quick trip to the Citadel."

* * *

_**A/N:** Next stop - Cartagena Station. Fav, follow or review._


	23. Infiltration

_You need a dragon hidden inside you. When you need, you let the dragon out – _Anderson Silva

* * *

**_Húdié dāo: _** [ 蝴蝶刀– Butterfly sword (_knife_ in English)]  
**_Ionsaí: _**Strike, or attack (asari)  
**_Liǔyè dāo:_** Literally, willow leaf saber (柳葉軍刀); short sword, continuously curved blade; some of these swords feature a sharpened back edge from the tip back about a third of the 96.5 centimeter length.  
**_Shuāng dāo:_** [雙 刀 – double knife]

* * *

**** ASARI CORVETTE ****_IONSAÍ_**** – WIDOW SYSTEM ****

Samantha Traynor talked with XO Shoni as she walked with the asari commando to the hanger bay. "This shouldn't take too much time, Traeria. Buchanan is supposed to be waiting for me at the Alliance docks, along with the equipment we requested."

"Are you sure we cannot provide you with a shuttle, Serviceman Traynor?" Traeria Shoni's silver and copper-flecked eyes betrayed her concern for Traynor's well-being in the decade-old UT-47 she planned to use to retrieve the third member of their team.

"I appreciate your concern, Traeria, but we'll be fine, really. The exterior of that shuttle is as much a disguise as anything Xiùlán or I wear when we're on the ground. A lot of what you see… the rust and abraded paint, the dirt and apparent wear and tear, has all been carefully applied by Alliance Marines – artists in the application of equipment disguise. The important parts – the engines, Eezo core, Nav computers and flight controls?… All modern, current production equipment. That shuttle is as new as anything coming off the assembly lines today."

Still not convinced, Shoni replied, "It doesn't appear to be safe, Serviceman."

Traynor smiled. "Unfortunately for Xiùlán and me, your opinion is shared by other members of the _Ionsaí's_ crew." Chuckling, she added, "We had to ask several of them to stop attempting to clean the exterior."

The resulting look of horrified embarrassment on the asari's face caused Traynor to stop and place her hands on Traeria's shoulders. "XO Shoni! Do not be embarrassed by this! Your crew meant well, and there was absolutely no harm done." Samantha grinned. "They actually added a bit more authenticity to the camouflage – it looks as if an attempt was made to clean a pair of proximity sensors on the starboard side. Xiùlán cleaned the same pair on the port side to complete the illusion."

"Goddess! I am so sorry, Samantha. Our crewmembers _all_ know better than to touch anything belonging to a guest on this ship."

"Traeria! Please! Do not trouble yourself over this. It is nothing." Traynor looked earnestly into the commando's eyes and waited until Shoni nodded.

"Because you ask it of me, I will not pursue this matter further, Ms Traynor." Sam let go of her shoulders and resumed walking with her as she added, "It is strange… I have never been touched by a human before. Your hands… on my shoulders? You have a very solid grip, Ms Traynor. Are all human females so strong?"

"Not at all," Traynor giggled. "Xiùlán trained me in hand-to-hand combat. I have spent a lot of time in strength training, usually under higher gravity conditions than on Earth."

"How do you achieve higher gravity than standard?"

"I hacked the environmental controls in the rooms I used," Traynor replied with a grin. "I was determined to put on as much muscle as possible in the shortest amount of time, so I increased the artificial gravity in whatever room I was using. Working out at one and a half to two times Earth normal builds muscle quite fast."

The asari paused to think about the bare-chested view she had gotten of Xiùlán, then asked, "So, your upper body… your arms? You must look very much like SC Yuán."

Traynor laughed at this. "I guess so."

They had entered the hanger while talking and came to a stop next to the shuttle that had sparked their conversation; Traeria looked the shuttle over as Traynor opened the portside hatch to enter. "I still don't like it, Samantha. It just doesn't look… safe."

Traynor smiled at the asari as she said, "Please, Traeria… call me Sam. My mother was the only one that ever called me 'Samantha', and then it was only when I was in some kind of trouble."

Shoni's face lit with a smile that crinkled the pale blue skin next to her eyes. "Okay… Sam. Contact us when you touch down on the Citadel, okay?"

"I'll do it, Traeria. Be back soon." Sam closed the hatch and began her pre-flight as Traeria retreated to the hanger entry.

Sam began powering up the decrepit looking shuttle's systems: inertial dampeners, navicomputers, turbo-fuel pumps, environmental pumps and impellers, ME generator… once everything was running to her satisfaction, Sam quickly decreased the shuttle's apparent mass with increased power to the ME core as she lit the four ventral thrusters to lift the shuttle from the deck. With fore and aft main thruster pods alight for positional stability, she eased the ungainly looking craft out of the _Ionsaí's_ hanger; once clear of the ship, she turned and headed for the Citadel.

* * *

**** ALLIANCE SECURE SPACE DOCKS – CITADEL, WIDOW SYSTEM ****

Systems Alliance Operations Chief Griffen 'Griff' Buchanan was lounging in the transient hanger bay when Traynor brought the UT-47t in to touch-down beside a row of similarly decrepit shuttles. As the moaning whines from the pumps, ME generator and HVAC impellers spooled down to silence, Traynor popped the hatch and stepped onto the platform. Spotting Griff leaning against a bulkhead, she walked over to greet him.

"You leave that shuttle parked there any length of time, they'll sell it for scrap along with the rest of 'em there," he smirked.

Sticking out a hand, she snarked, "Then I hope they get a fair amount of creds for all the tech gear inside that thing." Letting go of his hand, she looked around at their feet. "Speaking of gear, where's _yours_?"

"In a locker close by. Didn't want to have it all lying out here in the open, even if this _is_ a secure dock. My momma raised me to trust that people will be dishonest if given half a chance."

Sam looked over her shoulder at her ride. "Guess I better lock the doors on my ride back to the _Ionsaí_ then, unless you're ready to go."

"Let's get a bite to eat, first. I'm not that big a fan of asari food."

Traynor hesitated, then said, "Okay. Let me send a message to the XO on the _Ionsaí_, then secure the shuttle."

* * *

**** SMOKE HOUSE CAFE – CITADEL, WIDOW SYSTEM ****

Buchanan and Traynor sat across from each other at a small table in a modest, human-centric restaurant a half-klick from the secure docks. As it was still mid-morning local time, they each ordered breakfast food, even though Sam had eaten a bit before departing the _Ionsaí._

Traynor had her favorite – fried eggs with hash browns, accompanied by a 'meatless' bacon substitute, toast and a mug of hot tea, while Buchanan had a mug of coffee and a stack of waffles, which he smothered in what passed for maple syrup this far from Earth.

As they ate, Sam explained to Griff what she and Xiùlán had been doing the past several months – the search for an ancient asari figurine currently in the possession of the Blue Suns – and of how it was soon to be on its way to Cartagena Station.

"Research suggests getting to the shipping containers should be relatively easy there… the freight docks are not regularly patrolled by C-Pat, and overhead lighting is sparse… lots of shadows to hide in." Sam paused as she swirled a forkful of potatoes in the liquid egg yolks, placed them in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "The main drawback for us will be C-Pat's members… their entire force is made up of batarians."

"Shit! That'll make it really difficult, since they can see heat signatures," Griff replied testily, as he used his fork to stab a couple of waffle chunks and put them in his mouth. "Personal cloaking devices are virtually useless."

She sipped her tea as she thought about the problem. "Exactly, but in an environment with a bunch of heat sources, like heavy machinery, it _might _be possible to remain undetected from the background heat sources, _if_ you don't move."

Swallowing his mouthful and taking a swig of coffee, he grumped, "Damned lot of good it does to be there if you can't move about freely. The other problem with C-Pat is loyalty – as in, loyalty to creds… doesn't take much to buy them off, _particularly_ if the person flashing the creds is a batarian member of the Blue Suns."

Traynor nodded her head in agreement. "Didn't mean to give the impression it'd be easy to get in and out, Chief. Once we're on board, we'll have to access the station's servers to get a map of the thing – I haven't been able to find _any_ schematics or maps of the non-public areas – which we'll have to transit in order to remain beneath their notice."

Griffen grimaced as he shook his head. "We'll have to go in individually… arrive on three different ships, on different schedules, maybe even different days. Humans are in the distinct minority on that station, so three arriving together would surely be noticed." He paused, then added, "Xiùlán's facial features are sure to be remarked on."

"Perhaps, but if batarians remain true to form, the only thing they'll pay attention to on _either_ of us will be our chests," Sam snarked. "Not even the C-Pat members would be able to identify us in a lineup."

Griff chuckled before finishing his coffee. "Surprised you didn't say anything about _my_ face, Traynor."

"Aw hell, Service Chief… dress you down in some dirty ol' laborer clothing, you look like an older merc that decided to change vocations," Traynor said with a smirk. "That facial scar is a perfect disguise for you."

Griff laughed as he finished eating and drinking. "I guess you're right. Anyway, we should get going before your asari friends send out a search party for us."

Traynor finished her tea, smiled at Buchanan and stood up. "Grab your gear bags – I'll take us back to the _Ionsaí._"

* * *

**** ILLIUM – TASALE SYSTEM, CRESCENT NEBULA ****

Operations Chief Buchanan had been dropped off on Zorya in the Ismar Frontier, there to book passage to Omega via Cartagena Station as a cargo handler on a commercial freighter. After ferrying the big man to the colony capital of Thun, Samantha had returned to the _Ionsaí_ so she and Xiùlán could get ready to depart the corvette aboard an asari shuttlecraft when they arrived in the Tasale system. Captain Agana T'Lori and her executive officer Traeria Shoni both cautioned that a pair of human females disembarking from an asari warship in the crown jewel of asari controlled colonies would be noticed by a great many people, not all of them friendly, particularly the Eclipse.

Eshela T'Saida flew the shuttle from the vicinity of the Tasalean Mass Relay to Illium and dropped Samantha and Xiùlán off near the commercial spaceport. Samantha would book a flight to Cartagena Station to leave the day after the flight Xiùlán would take, thus insuring the women would arrive a day apart; additionally, Xiùlán would arrive a few hours after Griff's scheduled arrival from Zorya, with Traynor arriving a day afterwards.

Xiùlán booked a flight on the _MSV Celestial Challenger_, a small freight hauler with modest passenger quarters; Traynor would be traveling on a similar ship, the _MSV Ornate Quasar_, scheduled to depart the day following Yuán's flight.

Traynor and Yuán met for one final dinner before Sam's scheduled departure. "You have everything you need, Luv?"

Xiùlán sighed as she used her chop sticks to shove some noodles into her mouth, held up a finger as she chewed and swallowed, then replied, "It's a bit late to ask that, don't you think? I brought everything I _think_ I'll need there, but realistically? I doubt I could bring enough weapons to make me feel comfortable. Since Griff will be flying as a cargo handler on a dedicated freighter, we have to trust that he can get all of our specialized gear onto that miserable excuse of a station without it being tagged as contraband."

Traynor took a sip of beer. "I really don't like this, Linn. We're going in blind, and we'll have to live off the land, so to speak. XO Shoni gave me a small frequency generator and booster that I can tie into the station's communications array; once triggered, it'll send an emergency extraction request on an SHF band that will be specifically monitored by the _Ionsaí_. They'll be standing by near the Tasale relay, so should be able to get to the station in under half a day." Traynor took another sip from her glass as she thought about what they were about to do.

Xiùlán finished her bowl of noodles and remarked, "Probably the last good meal we'll be able to have for a while. Let's get out of here, get some rest. I have a feeling we'll be wishing for a nice bed before this little operation is over."

* * *

**** CARTAGENA STATION, NEMEAN ABYSS ****

The _MSV Celestial Challenger_ docked at one of three upper entrances to Cartagena Station. In addition to a very tall human female, several turians, a salarian and a krogan exited the ship as soon as docking clamps and seals were secure. After checking through a rudimentary customs inspection, the human pulled the hood of her knee length, black leather duster over her head, gathered her packs and strode briskly to the closest bar.

Surreptitiously looking around the dark confines as she entered The Whiskey Blue Alehouse, she mentally noted exits (there were three others in addition to the main door), and number and species of the patrons (a salarian, two turians and a lone asari matriarch,) amongst all the batarians seated at the several small tables scattered around the room. No one spared her even a glance as she flitted like a shadow in the dimly lit room; checking sightlines as she moved, she dropped her packs in an adjacent chair and settled with her back to the wall at a corner table, close by one of the rear exits, and waited.

A bored looking asari sauntered over and asked if she wanted a drink. "Scotch and soda," she responded, using the fingertip of her left hand to slide two credit chits across the table. The asari picked up the chits and walked off, returning in a few minutes with a tumbler full of bubbly amber liquid. "Not many humans come through here these days," she said in a conversational tone as she set the glass in the center of the table. "Batarians have scared 'em all off, I guess."

The woman picked the glass up with a black gloved hand, tentatively sipped and set the glass on the table.

Seeing that the human wasn't interested in casual conversation, she sauntered around the room to check on the other customers before ending up leaning on the bar, talking to the turian bartender.

The woman surreptitiously inspected everyone scattered around at the various tables. She continued to sip her drink, mentally noting the lack of alcoholic kick. Quickly polishing it off, she set the tumbler upside down in the middle of the table and motioned to the waitress. As she came up to the table, the human growled, "I want a refill, and _this_ time don't water down the fucking scotch."

The asari was immediately on the defensive. "Ma'am, I can assure you…"

The woman held the empty glass up between thumb and two fingers as she spoke in a voice full of dark menace, "Don't try to bullshit me. You're watering down the booze so you can increase your percentage." The woman's head tilted up ever so slightly. "Now get your sweet little blue ass back to that bar and get me a proper drink."

The asari quickly left and speedily brought a second full glass and set it in the center of the table.

After taking a sip, the human nodded acceptance before turning slightly towards the waitress and saying, "So, not many humans here? I'm looking for one human in particular. Big bastard, slanted eyes – greenish gray, dark hair, knife scar forehead to ear. Seen anyone like that?"

Wiping the table with a towel, she answered, "Kind of hard to miss, that one. Came through couple of hours ago off the _MSV Platinum Lance_, small freight hauler. Stopped in for a drink before moving on."

"Any idea which way… same level?… down?... up?"

"Actually said he was looking to meet someone." Pausing to think, she continued, "I believe he was heading to one of the freight transfer storage areas." Answering the unvoiced question, she continued with, "Sub-level three, section fourteen."

The gloved hand set another credit chit on the table before picking up the tumbler. She took another sip and said, "Thanks."

The asari picked up the credit chit and walked back towards the bar. The woman studied her from under her cowl as the asari stopped to talk to the bartender; he in turn glanced in her direction before pushing back from the bar and disappearing behind the forward liquor storage cabinets. The asari glanced nervously at the entrance, then back in her direction before moving casually to the other end of the bar. Downing the rest of her drink, the hooded figure placed her upper teeth on her lower lip as she sucked air through them. '_Warning enough…,_' she reasoned to herself.

In a matter of minutes, a batarian and a turian ambled through the main entrance, each dressed in the uniform of the Cartagena Patrol… C-Pat in local parlance... and walked up to the bar. After speaking to the bartender for a few seconds, they split up and began an approach to the corner table from either side.

With hands on the M-3 Predators clipped to their armor hardpoints, they stopped opposite each other at the table's edge, finding only an empty glass upside down in the center of the table. Yuán Xiùlán had already left through a rear exit.

* * *

The young woman in the black cloak had slipped out the nearest exit and walked purposefully down a dimly lit hallway as she listened for any noise behind her. Batarians eyesight made any attempt to use her cloaking device futile… their upper eyes were highly sensitive to heat signatures; something no personal cloak in existence could hide.

Hearing no sounds behind her, she paused long enough to drop her gear bags and bring up a station map on her omni-tool. Its use had to be kept to a bare minimum, as C-Pat would detect any extensive access of the station's VI. Finding the needed coordinates, she plugged them into her omni's memory, disconnected from the station's server, then activated the tracker that would take her unerringly to wherever Buchanan was located. She wasn't surprised to learn he was _not_ in _Sub-level three, section fourteen_ as the waitress had suggested. _'Bet the lying little bitch is on C-Pat's payroll.'_ Slinging her bags over her shoulder, she continued down the passageway to its end, where a locked and sealed hatch to an elevator barred her way. Once more, she activated her omni-tool, taking mere seconds to gain access to the car, which she boarded and rode to sub-level one.

Exiting the car, she strode into the passageway; it was only a few dozen steps before she encountered a nearby branching access passageway, which she took. Walking up to the door, she easily defeated the lock after a few moments; engaging her cloak, she slowly slid the door open and waited. The small office area was dark, with the first of several medium sized cargo areas just past another door set in the far wall. She moved only her eyes as she carefully inspected the walls and corners of the room. As expected, there was no sign of detection equipment; she eased her way past the threshold and towards the door on the opposite wall as she kept watching the windows on both sides for any sign of movement or discovery. Reaching the door without incident, she crouched beside it and tried releasing the latch; the door opened inward as she tugged at the release. Probably only locked from the outside. She made ready to stand and enter the first cargo area…

* * *

Yuán Xiùlán had carefully moved through two of the three cargo areas after leaving the small office behind. There were few lights in these compartments, something that certainly worked in her favor as she silently moved past the exposed frames that formed each compartment's sub-structure. The man she was looking for was, despite being told something entirely different in the Whiskey Blue Alehouse, actually in the next compartment ahead… sub-level _one_, section _four_. She peered around a stack of containers into the next area. _'Dammit Griff, where the hell are you?'_ she thought. Deciding she needed a better viewing angle, she activated her omni-tool and touched two controls. Her micro mass-field generator came online, lowering her personal mass to that of a bird. While she wasn't floating, her lack of apparent mass made it infinitely easier to jump unseen to the top of a seven meter stack of shipping containers. Once on top, she cut the power-hungry mass-field generator, as she didn't know _when_ she'd be able to change out or recharge its cells. Flattening herself to the top of the container, she crawled to the far side for a look into the next area.

* * *

Systems Alliance Operations Chief Griffen 'Griff' Buchanan was crouched outside the main entrance to the offices at the far side of the third freight storage area. He had been working his way through the warehouses, searching for containers from the Aquila System and had found five, all in _this_ area of the three-section cargo warehouse; the item he was looking for was most likely in one of them. He was in the process of hacking the lock on the door when his omni-tool clicked once. He took a quick look at the text and smiled.

Finishing with the lock, he sent a one-word answer to the text just received, then closed the tool and silently slid the door open as he engaged his personal cloak and waited.

One of the shadows at the end of this office block began to move slowly in his direction, seeming to ripple the air as the slight amount of ambient light distorted and reflected around the shadow. As the shadow drew near, it whispered a curse and his name, asking, "Dammit, Griff, when are you going to get some surgery to eliminate that scar?" The shadow stopped at the far side of the door and crouched. "It's the only thing I have to mention in order to jog people's memories."

Buchanan chuckled softly. "Made finding me easier, right? Besides, I'm told women find facial scars on men attractive. You don't agree?"

"I'm not a krogan, and men haven't been _my_ thing for some time," she said in as snarky a tone as she could muster while whispering. "_And_ I was misdirected. Little asari bitch in the Whiskey Blue Alehouse wanted me to go to sub-level _three_, section _fourteen_… long way down and halfway across the station from here. Makes me a bit suspicious." Looking around, she said, "Let's get inside."

"Hold on. Need to look for cameras or other bugs."

"We need to hunker down somewhere close by until Sammy arrives." Xiùlán checked her chrono and added, "Another eighteen hours, anyway. It'll give us time to get our weapons and other equipment from the cases you brought along. I'll feel a bit more comfortable with a shotgun docked at my back."

"None in the office I came through," she responded. "We _do_ need to watch out for C-Pat, though… I believe they're totally owned by the Blue Suns."

Buchanan grunted in acknowledgement, then slowly moved just enough to look into the corners and ceiling visible from his side of the door opening; pulling back slightly, he waited for Yuán to inspect the side observable from her position.

"Camera," she whispered, "top center, left wall. Standby." Still in a crouched position, she rolled around to her left, presenting her back to the door in order to shield the ultraviolet glow of her customized Savant manufactured omni-tool. She entered several commands, the last of which set the camera to show a continuous display of this office as it was the minute before the chief slid the door open. To anyone in the C-Pat security office, the time stamp on the monitors would continue to increment, but that would be the _only_ accurate portion of the picture, as the monitored area would appear dark and empty. "Go," she hissed.

Griff slid into the room and took a combat stance as he waited for Yuán.

Sensing her presence behind him, he relaxed slightly and decloaked, turning around in time to see Yuán reappear as well. "Here's a terminal. Just have to…" she trailed off as she activated her omni-tool and hacked the terminal, instructing it to sever its ties to the station's server. "…now I can access the database for this warehouse area without alerting every four-eyed asshole on the station. What am I looking for?"

As a freight handler on the _MSV Platinum Lance_, Griff had monitored the shipping container full of equipment the three of them needed in support of this mission. If they couldn't retrieve the asari artifact from _this_ station, seven months of work and thousands of credits invested by Asari High Command would be for nothing. "Container number is RFm-ǾAzKn-751 – should be in this warehouse, out towards the main cargo entry."

"Okay… let me…" Xiùlán terminated the program she was using, allowing the terminal to return to its 'Cartagena Freight Forwarding' logo. Engaging her cloak, she said, "Let's go get our stuff."

Of the three connected areas of this freight holding/forwarding warehouses, the one Xiùlán and Griff found themselves in was of moderate size; 14m. wide by 10m. deep, with a clear-span height of ten meters, temporarily home to thirty-three 3 meter long by 2 meter wide by 2.5 meter high standard shipping containers, each stacked three high. A kinetic barrier at the rear of the section in which they found themselves formed an invisible wall, behind which another twenty-four containers were stacked in long-term storage in two warehouses – these would not be of any interest to the Alliance agents.

A double kinetic barrier at the main entry kept the warehouse pressurized against the vacuum outside – it was between this barrier and the stacks of thirty-three containers where they expected to find their weapons pod in a container 180 by 100cm – there were fifteen or sixteen of these scattered haphazardly on the decking, all within sight of the office they had just vacated.

With both of them inspecting the small pods, it took only a few moments to find RFm-ǾAzKn-751. Griff's plan was to retrieve their pod from inside the container and stash it on top of one of the twenty-four container stacks in long-term storage at the very rear. As a practical matter, neither of them could move through the mid-warehouse barrier without injury, so Griff energized his own ME generator along with the tiny ME generator for the pod. Moving to the top of the first stack, Buchanan waited as Xiùlán tossed the near weightless container up to him; he then moved the container towards the rearmost stack.

In the meantime, Xiùlán had run between the containers and warehouse wall to the control console, where she dropped the barrier just as Buchanan jumped over to the first container. Once inside warehouse one, Griff pushed the container to the very rear as Xiùlán set a five-second delay and re-energized the kinetic barrier before energizing her own ME generator and quickly joining him atop the container stack.

After taking a quick inventory of their equipment, Xiùlán elected to leave her shotgun behind, fearing being caught with it before Sammy joined them. "Don't want it confiscated by C-Pat before we get started here. I have my shuāng dāo [雙 刀 – _double knife_] strapped to my boots and a Liǔyè dāo on my back." With a grim smile, she continued, "You hear of any sliced-up batarians being discovered, you'll know who to blame."

Buchanan chuckled and shook his head. "The pair of you? Out of my league, totally. I've heard tales of how you go at each other in what you euphemistically refer to as _'training'_. Surprised you haven't managed to kill one another."

"Sammy's my whole life, Chief… couldn't hurt her if I wanted to. You should have seen her when we met… she's come further, achieved more in the nearly two years we've been together than most people ever dream of. And she's taught me _so_ much. Nearly lost her to batarian pirates in the Dis system, Chief. I _never_ want to feel that kind of pain again." A haunted look briefly passed across Xiùlán's face, replaced by her normally impassive mask almost before Buchanan could be sure of what he'd seen. He was sure in his mind that this woman would do anything for Traynor… even die for her. "How would you refer to Traynor and yourself, Yuán? I mean, as soldiers?"

"We're Lóng yǐn, [龍隱] that is to say, _hidden dragons._ We have to perform assignments too risky or politically sensitive for traditional specialists, and we have to be ready to act aggressively… to complete our missions and protect ourselves and each other."

"Is that how you got involved in doing the dirty work for the asari?"

"I don't consider it _dirty_ work, Griff. It's clandestine, to be sure, but the asari don't train for _this_ type of recovery. Their commandos are adept at ambush, infiltration, and assassination. I myself _trained_ with an asari commando… Aglyna T'Sega. Would have killed her with an omni-blade up through her vitals if her handler hadn't slapped me with a stasis field." Xiùlán looked down for a moment and frowned at the memory. "I consider her a friend, now… we learned a great deal from each other. It was a rewarding experience."

Lights began to come on in the darkened warehouse and offices. "Dayshift's getting started," Griff observed. "Better get out of here… Go book a room for a bit until Traynor arrives." Xiùlán picked up her gear bags and with a nod, turned to follow Buchanan out of the warehouses.

* * *

**** CARTAGENA STATION, TEN HOURS LATER ****

The _MSV Ornate Quasar_ was within fifteen minutes of arriving at the lower freight unloading docks to Cartagena Station. Seated alone next to a viewport, Samantha Traynor appeared to be watching the operation outside the ship's hull with rapt attention; in reality, she was surreptitiously sending a text to Xiùlán, who had already been aboard the station for nearly ten hours, seven to eight of that with Operations Chief 'Griff' Buchanan. With her torso turned away from the center aisle, the deep purple glow of Traynor's omni-tool was hidden from view by anyone casually passing her seat.

Xiùlán sent Sammy their location – sub-level one, section four – along with a warning that the station's security forces, which were primarily populated by batarian mercenaries with only an official station uniform tagging them as 'not quite' pirates, were decidedly not friendly to humans, of either gender.

Traynor smiled at this. Batarians as a race had been unfriendly towards humans since the early 2160's, due to their ongoing efforts to colonize the Skyllian Verge, a region batarians were already settling. Interactions between the two species continued to deteriorate until the attack on Elysium in 2176. The Alliance retaliation against the batarian-backed staging base on the moon of Torfan in 2178 caused the batarians to retreat into their own systems. To have Xiùlán tell her batarians on the station were unfriendly towards humans was certainly not news to Samantha.

The slight bump and sounds of machinery grinding from below and astern interrupted her musings; the _Ornate Quasar_ had docked. She carefully rose from her seat to fish around in the overhead lockers for her two shoulder packs. Making sure the hood of her dark grey leather cloak was pulled well over her head, she waited for the salarian and the batarian that had been seated behind her to exit the craft ahead of her; they followed several turians and a massive krogan, merc by the looks of him, that had been seated ahead of her.

As she set foot on the platform outside the ship's deployed passenger ramp, she looked around while queuing up for a customs inspection. Since there was nothing in her packs but clothing, she was held up only briefly before being allowed to enter the main lobby on this level. The area had the look of a place that had once been a bright spot for people landing here from darker places in the Traverse… in the decades since this station had been constructed, this grand concourse for people of all races had become dark and dingily oppressive. Cleanup appeared to be hit and miss, and there were more than a few former storefronts covered in sheets of grey polystyrene, adding to the decrepit atmosphere.

A small bar named 'La Botella y Casque' beckoned, but she decided a drink would have to wait; she wanted nothing more than to join up with Griff and Xiùlán, find and retrieve the asari artifact and get the hell back off this station in one piece. Standing outside in the poorly lit 'grand entryway' to the station, Samantha energized her omni-tool briefly in order to display a map of the serviceways – passages within the station that served as shortcuts for station employees to use in order to move around with relatively few restrictions. The electronic trackers for the two people she needed to meet would lead her to the warehouses where they were now waiting.

She moved in an apparently random manner, staying in the shadows as much as practicable while appearing to simply be window shopping at the few stores along the way that deigned to display some of what was for sale within. As she approached the passageway she needed to use, she used her omni-tool to hack the sealed hatch from several meters away; reaching the now unlocked door, she placed the wrist wearing her omni-tool within the glowing red haptic interface, causing two segments of the door to retract. She quickly stepped through, entering the dimly lit passage as the door segments returned to their fully closed position.

She placed an infrared viewfinder in front of her eyes and energized it, the faint amber glow the only indication she was wearing the device. Looking intently down the length of the deserted passageway, she could just detect the doorway at the far end. Hearing no sounds of alarm ahead or behind, she hurried down the passageway, pausing at the door long enough to again bring up a station map on her omni tool. Once through the door, she turned down a nearby branching passageway and walked until it too ended at a door. Engaging her cloak, she slowly slid the door open and waited, half expecting alarms to begin sounding.

Checking the locators on her omni-tool, she knew Griff and Xiùlán were close by. She eased herself through the door in a crouch and took a look around; the stacked cargo containers standing out somewhat from the rest of the space. Towards her left, the massive opening to the storage area stood out for its utter blackness, the -2.65ׄ°K temperature of interstellar space overriding the puny amount of heat available inside. The two humans waiting for her near the far stack of containers stood out as near solid white against the background of space.

She deenergized her cloak and infrared viewfinder as she walked up to them; Xiùlán was quite glad to see her. "Any trouble finding us?"

"Just had to follow your trackers… which you probably ought to turn off for now." Traynor got right to the business at hand. "Have you located the pods?"

"Haven't had a chance yet," Griff replied. "Found our equipment pod. Better get your weapons."

Traynor smirked as she responded, "Got my pistol. My omni-tool produces ceramic blades, and…" she pulled the hem of her long jacket aside, revealing the mirror-polished, exquisitely wrought handguard, hilt and blade deflector of what was obviously more than a simple boot knife. "…I have my húdié shuāngdāo." [蝴蝶雙刀_\- Butterfly knives_]

Buchanan chuckled as he shook his head. "What in hell _is_ it with you two and the blade weapons? Seriously, I think we went through a time tunnel somewhere along the line, wound up back in sixteenth-century China. You're a couple of dangerous women!"

Xiùlán smiled. "Things were certainly _much_ simpler back then."

Traynor nodded in agreement as she replied, "Do we have a safe place to stash the pod, Griff? Someplace where we can return to it if we need to?"

"It's on top of one of the rearmost stack of containers in long-term storage, back of this warehouse. Map shows it as warehouse number one."

"Okay," Traynor answered. "Once we're done in this area, perhaps we need to move it. Let's find those shipping containers."

Without a word Buchanan turned and walked into the small office where Xiùlán had hacked a terminal to locate their equipment pod; Griff slid into the room and took a combat stance as Traynor and Xiùlán entered behind him. Traynor moved to the terminal Xiùlán had previously hacked and smiled approvingly at the way in which her lover had configured it. "Nice job!" she said with a smirk. "Looks like something I might have done." Traynor sat in front of the terminal, entered several queries, then entered the numbers – 002180084224 and 002180084346, both discovered in the freight yards of Illium – for each of the shipping containers they had been tracking ever since.

The terminal responded with copies of the manifest for each, listing the contents by name, type and quantity; there were no _single_ items in either of the containers. Traynor cross-checked the shipping containers against each other, and discovered each one was recorded as carrying an identical item, listed as _JANIRI, RELIC, FIGURINE, ONE (1) _ "Looks like we'll have to check containers 002180084224 and 084346 for this relic," Traynor said. "Each container lists the one item inside, when our intel says there is _only_ one, period. So, are there a total of two of these things, or is there really only just the one? Probably listed _this_ way so two containers have to be checked to find the damned thing."

"What's so important about this thing anyway?" Buchanan asked. "If it's a stolen artifact, shouldn't the asari military be all over this? They all have biotics, for craps sake." Buchanan whispered. "Both of you know how much batarians hate humans… We get caught screwing around down here, C-Pat'll have a field day torturing us."

Traynor heard the faint trilling of an alarm of some sort; she looked at Griff as she closed the terminal, reconnected it to its server and replied, "Oh, _we_ know all about batarians and their love for humans. I don't intend to get caught by these bastards, Chief. Move! Now! Into the warehouse, far side, where we have room to operate."

* * *

_**A/N:** Things are about to get quite interesting for these three. Thanks for reading._


	24. A Batarian's Error in Judgement

_I believe that everyone has it in them to kill another person. In desperation, or hatred, or at least to defend themselves. – _Stieg Larsson,_ The Girl Who Played with Fire_

* * *

**** CARTAGENA STATION **•** SUB-LEVEL ONE, SECTION FOUR ****

Their recovery target was in one of sixteen smaller containers scattered between the outer kinetic barrier and the group of five 'three-stacked' standard containers on the far side from the office they had just vacated; of these, all but three were in plain view of that office. Griff would have to be her lookout while she located 002180084224 and 002180084346.

The plan was for Sam to hack the customs security seal and lock on the first one they located; if the relic was not inside the first, she'd have to locate the other container, hack the seal and lock on it, find and grab the relic from among the rest of the items inside and reseal the container. They had a limited amount of time, as workers would soon be arriving to begin the first shift.

The alarm that had sent them out of the office had been silenced. Sam sent a brief text to Buchanan. "Any sign of C-Pat?"

"In the office… stay down."

Traynor melted into the shadow of a stack as she sent a quick text to Xiùlán, telling her to go up top. The figure Buchanan had seen was still moving in the office… undoubtedly a C-Pat guard making his rounds. The office lights had not come on, which hopefully meant the shadowy figure would be leaving shortly.

While she waited for the guard to leave, she inspected each of the three containers out of sight of the office… as luck would have it, the second one was 084224. Upon a quick inspection, she was disappointed to discover the third container was not the one she was looking for. Moving back to the second one, she quickly hacked the customs seal and lock; activating a tiny spot of light at the end of her omni, she tilted the lid just a bit and inspected all 'round the edge. _'Found you!'_ she thought. Disabling the alarm switch that would have activated a 'screamer', she carefully opened the hinged lid. Peeking around the corner of the container stack, she inspected the office carefully. Seeing no signs of movement, she looked up at the top of the container stack, and was rewarded with the view of a rippling shadow.

Motioning for Xiùlán to join her, she returned her attention to the open box in front of her. She searched though the contents for the asari artifact… no luck! Dammit, now she needed to find the other container and search _it_ for this effing relic. Making sure all inside was as it had been, she set the lid in place, reconnected the alarm switch and relatched the lid, then re-enabled the electronic lock and carefully reset the customs seal as Xiùlán joined her.

"Not here, huh?"

"Nope," responded Sam. "You seen Buchanan? We separated when we left that office."

"He went back into the first storage area… something about the batarians coming in that way and through this other office. I'm beginning to get a bad feeling here…"

"Dammit Yuán, every time you say that all 'ell breaks loose," Traynor responded through gritted teeth. "Keep an eye on that office while I find the other container."

Samantha moved out onto the floor in a crouch, inspecting numbers on each container. Moving away from the office, she discovered 002180084346 sitting adjacent to the standard container stack furthest from the office. Whispering on her comm for Xiùlán to stay put, she unsealed and opened this container as had been done with the previous one. Staying low, she checked the items inside and… found the damned thing, in the middle of a shipment of synthetic down. It had the correct manifest number, and appeared to be the correct size.

Rearranging the remaining contents of the container to disguise the 'theft' of the object, she reset the lid as she'd done with 084224, placed the artifact in her backpack and slid back into hiding as she whispered on the comm for Xiùlán to join her. "Got it. We need to move, now! Griff! Get down to this end."

The pair had almost reached the office entrance when the lights inside came on, sending them each diving for the low wall on either side of the door. Samantha used her omni-tool to remotely hack the terminal on the other side of the wall, then quickly disabled the computer's control of the ceiling lights in the warehouse and disconnected from the control panel; she looked at Yuán and motioned with her hands. Anyone coming through the door would meet a swift, untimely accident.

Being so close to Yuán, Sammy couldn't employ her butterfly knives for fear of clipping her lover with one of the razor sharp edges… they'd each have to use their hands or their omni-blades.

The door hissed open, allowing two C-Pat guards access to the still darkened warehouse. Each of the women stood as one, Xiùlán taking down the batarian on her side, Sam taking the one on hers… Neither guard would be getting back up again.

Traynor attached a mass reduction field generator to the collar of each guard; activating them negated their weight. The pair grabbed the weapons belts of the unfortunate batarians and dragged them over to the closest 3-stack of containers.

Activating their own generators, they each grabbed a batarian by his belt and jumped straight up. As they cleared the edge of the uppermost container, the nearly weightless batarians were unceremoniously tossed onto the top; the cloaked women then caught the container's edge as they started back down. Hoisting themselves up, they quickly dragged the unfortunate guards towards the center, retrieved their ME generators and relieved them of their hardware, including pass cards for the restricted areas to which they would need access. The dead guards wouldn't be discovered until the crate needed to be pulled for shipment.

Running and jumping from stack to stack, the pair went back to the first warehouse after hacking through the intervening kinetic barrier. They each grabbed a shotgun from the pod previously stashed before dropping lightly to the floor in the aisle between the stacks; they then made their way around the end back to the first office Xiùlán had originally come through.

"We should verify that figurine is what the asari are looking for. Let's take a look," Xiùlán whispered.

Traynor brought the wooden carving out of the backpack and handed it to her lover. "Ugliest little statue I've ever seen. If that represents an asari god or goddess, one has to wonder how the appearance of modern asari compare to their ancestors from 50,000 years ago."

Xiùlán handed the figurine back to Sammy after comparing its appearance to the reference picture she had on her omni-tool. "Looks to be the real thing, despite its lack of pleasing facial features… I _do_ wonder why it has four eyes. Probably better suited to the batarian pantheon of deities. Stash it away so it doesn't get broken."

Lights were on in this first office, but they could not see anyone through the windows. As she rearranged contents in her backpack to cushion the figurine from impacts, Traynor said, "Remember, even with our cloaks engaged our heat signatures will give us away to the four-eyed bastards."

Xiùlán said nothing as she took point, easing through the door in a crouch. No one inside, but she did see a smeared trail of blood leading back to the hall. Motioning to Traynor, she pointed to the blood trace then out the door as she powered down her cloak. "Looks like Griff ran into trouble," she observed.

Bringing up the 3-D station map on her omni-tool, Sam punched in Buchanan's locator code… The result was _not_ encouraging. Deleting his code and closing the tool, she whispered to Xiùlán, "He's on level five, C-Pat detention area. Still alive, so not hurt _too_ bad."

"We need to get up there, Sam," Xiùlán hissed back. "We have got to get him away from the batarians before they kill him."

"Them killing Griff is the _least_ of our worries. They'll pump him full of Rattazan first; he'll have no choice but to tell them about us." Traynor studied Xiùlán's eyes before continuing, "We will have to do this quickly and quietly. Once they're aware there are two more of us out here, we'll have one 'ell of a time getting to Griff…"

"…and even _more_ trouble getting off this station," Xiùlán finished for her. "How do we proceed? Going to be difficult for two human women to stay hidden on this station. These features…," Yuán indicated her own face, "…are not commonly seen in the abyss. I'd have an easier time blending in with _your_ features, or Griff's scar… or _both_."

"Your features are just one of the many things I love about you, Xiùlán," snarked Sam. "There's a two-meter high utility tunnel between C-Pat and the level four comm center where I need to go… that's where we'll bunker down. I'll help you grab Griff out from under them, then hack their comm systems and call the _Ionsaí_ for pickup while you two go to ground between levels. I'll keep 'em off you long enough for our lifeboat to arrive."

"Sounds like the body count is going to be up there." Xiùlán was uneasy. "Sure you're up for this?"

Samantha grabbed Xiùlán's hand, quickly brought it to her lips and kissed her knuckles. "Let's grab Buchanan so we can get the bloody 'ell outa this shithole." She headed out the door and turned left.

The passage was 25 to 26 meters long, with inspection hatches on the left at regular intervals. Reaching the end of the hall without encountering anyone or setting off any alarms, Traynor hacked the locked-out elevator controls, then pressed the 'call' control. Nodding to Xiùlán, Sam powered on her cloak and positioned herself beside the door, back and left shoulder hard into the frame, with Yuán positioned and cloaked similarly on the other side.

Time slowed to a crawl for Traynor… she could hear the faint sound of the car floating down the shaft, could sense the displaced air seeping past the edges of the segmented door halves. As the car reached their level and slowed to a stop, the pair crouched, ready to leap. They waited as the door segments slid into their receptacles, followed by two C-Pat guards sauntering out of the elevator.

Each was quickly on the floor as Yuán and Traynor simultaneously pounced like a pair of dragons… one guard was looking straight behind him as he fell, the only sound a slight gurgling from his twisted windpipe. The other one grabbed at his crushed larynx for a moment before falling to a hammerfist strike that shattered his sternum, driving the pieces into his heart. The women dragged their unfortunate victims back into the elevator and closed the doors.

"We need to find a trash ejector big enough for these two bodies, plus whatever else gets in our way," Xiùlán whispered. "Up in C-Pat, perhaps?"

Traynor powered up her omni-tool and checked for ejectors. "None where we need to be. Have to stash 'em somewhere along the way. Can't leave 'em in here… or maybe…" Traynor looked at the ceiling of the car they were in. "Escape hatch!" She powered on her ME generator as she said, "Boost me up."

Xiùlán interlaced her fingers and held her hands down for a step, which Sammy used to reach the ceiling of the car. She opened the panel and quickly climbed through to the top of the elevator. Crouching by the opening, she reached down to grab each of the dead guards as Xiùlán shoved their ME lightened bodies up to her waiting partner; Traynor then laid them out alongside the energy couplings that propelled the cars through the shafts. After making certain neither would accidently roll into the power couplings, she eased her body back down through the access hatch, placed a boot in Xiùlán's waiting hands so she could close the hatch cover, then dropped lightly to the floor.

"Dammit Xiùlán, C-Pat is working for the bloody pirates. Found this on the second guard," she hissed through her teeth as she held up a crumpled piece of paper. Xiùlán was not surprised to see a promise of payment for the capture of any and all Alliance agents. "They've all been bought… the whole bloody station; even the dock workers have been warned to be on the lookout for all three of us."

"That must be why the little blue bitch in the bar tried to send me in the wrong direction," Xiùlán replied, almost to herself. "We're going to have the devil's own time getting our asses out of here."

"Let's get up to the C-Pat detention center… grab Griff before they force him to sell us out," Traynor replied. Looking at station specs on her omni-tool, she grumped, "This car is locked out from accessing the utility tunnel between levels," Sam said. "Give me a couple…" Sam was furiously entering code into her omni-tool; finally, she had the solution. "…press and hold four _and_ five simultaneously. It'll stop at the access door for the tunnel." Xiùlán held both 'keys' on the haptic interface until the car stopped moving.

Sam forced the inner doors open; they were now between levels with a locked security hatch barring their way forward. She terminated the station's control of this car, plunging them into darkness for a moment before the power cell operated emergency light switched on, casting a sickly bluish glow from above. Xiùlán activated the light on her omni-tool so Sam could deal with the hatch.

"Looks like there's an alarm switch here… disconnected now. This lock might take a bit of finesse." She began entering commands into her omni-tool; after twenty seconds it chirped. Sam's frown looked rather ghastly in the harsh light of Xiùlán's omni-tool.

"Bring your arm over by mine," Sam said. "I need to link the processors if I'm going to get through this bloody thing."

With Xiùlán's omni-tool linked in, Sam again entered commands on her own tool's interface; fifteen seconds later the hatch responded to Sam's hacking routine by unlocking and swinging inward. Sam said "Come on," as she unlinked their tools and carefully stepped across the gap into the utility tunnel. Xiùlán reached in and grabbed Sam's hand as she navigated the gap and stepped into the tunnel behind Sam. "There are no motion detectors or cameras in this compartment. We should be okay as long as we aren't seen coming or going."

"You'd better power up and release that car before they start sending maintenance techs to see why it's not responding," Xiùlán whispered.

Sending a series of commands to the station's server, she had it repower the car and send it back down to level one, then closed and latched the entrance hatch to their level. "I'm using a new code to lock this thing… won't have to spend so much time on it again, and the batarians will have to spend a helluva lot more time to override it. Oh, and the car won't remain stationary… soon as someone starts to hack that lock, down goes the car, even if its powered off," she finished with a smirk.

"That should really piss them off, Sammy," Xiùlán replied as she sent a quick command to the server to disable the work lights mounted in the overhead, then removed her electronic 'fingerprints' from the server. "Now, let's find access to the level five detention level and grab Griff."

Xiùlán and Sam were in total darkness… with the work lights disabled in the tunnel, they could safely put on their night vision visors. Setting the lights in their omni-tools to infrared, the tunnel and its contents now reflected eerie shades of grey… heat producing items appeared almost white to light grey, cold items almost black. Xiùlán took point, moving ahead of Sam as they silently crept deeper into the tunnel. "Dust on the deck is pretty thick," Sam whispered on the comm. "Doesn't look like anyone's been through here since the station was completed."

Xiùlán touched the switch on the comlink in her ear and replied quietly, "Acknowledged." Their progress was hampered by having to go under, over and around electronics cabinets, conduits, transformers and ducting. After twenty minutes of carefully moving forward, Sam whispered, "Hold up a moment."

Turning around to look back, Xiùlán could see Traynor casting the light from her omni-tool to her right. Checking the station map, she hissed, "This way," over the comlink.

Turning to her left, Yuán paralleled Sam towards the target in her heads up display.

Arriving together, they extinguished their lights and removed their visors as they both examined the grill set in the overhead, from which a faint glow of light could barely be seen filtering in from above. "Return air grill," Xiùlán observed. "Helps keep people's ears from popping every time a hatch is sealed or unsealed. Looks like half-a-meter square." Pointedly leering at Sam's chest, she snarked, "Bit tight for you with _that_ rack on your chest! Want me to go first?"

Sam grinned as she grabbed her boobs through her armor and pressed them towards her body. "There's a bit of 'give' available there," she said innocently, then looked down at Xiùlán's upper legs. "What about those hips?" she snarked back. "There's no way you can narrow those down far enough!" After a pause, she continued, "Okay, you go up first. How's the charge on your shield generator?"

Xiùlán checked the readout with her omni-tool. "43%… Yours?"

"39%. We're going to have to change out power cells pretty soon."

"Agreed. Boost me up." Xiùlán energized her ME generator as Sam interlaced her fingers and held her hands at knee level; with her mass mostly negated, Xiùlán was able to stand on her lover's joined hands without placing undue stress on them. With her head just under the grille, she found and released the retainers on the underside and pushed the grille up just enough to take a quick look around. It appeared she had come up inside a storage area… there were shelves on the walls, stacked full of small containers all labeled as to contents. Sliding the grille to one side, she leveraged herself up using her arms; receiving a push from below, she drew her legs up and crouched at the edge of the opening.

She quickly reversed her ME generator, effectively doubling her mass in order to better anchor herself as she reached back down for Traynor; a pair of gloved hands came up, which Xiùlán grabbed and pulled. As Sam's head came up through the opening, Xiùlán let go of her hands so Sam could place her arms on the edge of the opening. Xiùlán powered her ME generator down and moved to straddle Sam crossways; crouching, she placed her hands under Sam's armpits and started straightening her muscular legs as she pulled Sam upward.

Xiùlán grinned at her as she whispered, "Wǒ xiǎng tíxǐng nǐ…" [我想提醒你... _– I would like to remind you…_(**a/n**: same as _I told you so_)] when it became apparent Sam's chest was slightly hindering her as she twisted her body back and forth to squeeze through the 15cm thick opening. Finally clearing the edge as Xiùlán grabbed her belt and pulled, the whispered protest that followed was not unexpected. "I didn't have someone pushing my feet up from below."

Xiùlán set the grill back in the opening, then looked around. "Don't hear any voices," she whispered. "Did we just get lucky, or is all 'ell about to break loose?"

She watched as Sam brought the station map up on her omni-tool, then studied the graphics alongside her for several moments. Sam remarked, "We got lucky," as she shut the tool down. "Buchanan is in an interrogation room just down the hall, probably singing like a canary. We need to replace the power cells in our shield generators."

"I only brought one spare with me," sighed Sam. "Wish these things didn't suck so much power… their eezo cores pull more power than the cells can provide."

Xiùlán had been studying the labels on the containers all around them, when she stopped at one labeled _ĉelo potenco_. "Look at this," she whispered. Opening the container revealed several power cells neatly packed inside. She examined one and was delighted to see it was compatible with her own shield generator's power requirements. She grabbed another and tossed it to Sam, whispering, "Swap your power cell with this one." Swapping out her own depleted cell with this fresh one, she was thrilled to see it was at 98%. _'Tián!' _[甜！_–_ Sweet!] she thought. Placing the nearly depleted cells in the container, she resealed it and placed it back on the shelf after pocketing the other two from the container, then joined Sam at the sealed hatch.

As she'd done on level three, Sam hacked the security cameras in the passageway outside the door. There were heavily armed guards at either end of the 10-meter passage. The room they needed to breech was down the right side and across, two-and-a-half meters or so. "We need a distraction at the other end, to the left. I have the server recording the video of this passage. Just before we send the guards off on a wild goose chase, I'll cut the recording, loop it and play it back for the security office."

"What happens when the guards return?"

"They'll have to either hack the incredibly complex algorithm I use to lock things, or blow the doors. Either way will take them a lot of time," Samantha said. "Breaking into or out of station security is not an easy thing to do. There'll also be cameras and mics in the interrogation room – the server in there is already recording what's going on, so I just need to loop the recording without audio. In all the confusion, we'll snag Griff and bring him back in here."

"Sounds like you got this all sorted. How do we get out?"

"We go to ground in the tunnel. They may figure it out in time, but I still have to get to the comm system on level four, hack it and call the _Ionsaí_ to pick us up."

Xiùlán shook her head, a concerned look on her face. "You're bound to be seen on level four, especially once we've poked the hornet's nest up here"

"First things first. We have to get Buchanan out before he spills his guts, 'cause as soon as they have what _they_ need, they _will_ spill his guts." Sam entered several commands on her omni-tool, then looked at Xiùlán and asked, "Ready?"

"Wǒmen kāishǐ zuò ba!" [我們開始做吧！_– __Let's do it!_]

* * *

**** CARTAGENA STATION **•** LEVEL FIVE, C-PAT DETENTION AREA ****

Sam made one final entry, closed her tool's interface and engaged her cloak. Closing her eyes, she visualized the batarian running towards her as she counted down from nine. Reaching 'one', she swiftly opened the door and used the outer edge of her right hand to crush the guard's larynx as he ran past the door at full speed from the right… his legs and body rose in an arc with his neck as the pivot point. Momentum carried him a half-meter further before he fell like a discarded rag doll.

Xiùlán moved past Sam as she grabbed the dying guard and dragged him back into the compartment with assistance from her ME generator as Sam remotely sealed and locked every hatch along the length of the passage, including those at either end.

Xiùlán punched the call interface on the hatch to the interrogation room, which promptly opened to reveal one of the biggest, ugliest batarians she'd ever seen. As he started to reach for her, Xiùlán kicked him in the crotch with enough force to lift him off his feet.

As he reacted to this unexpected assault by hollering in pain and doubling over, his attacker slammed her elbow down on the back of his neck, dislocating one of his vertebrae far enough to sever his spinal cord in two places. This effectively stopped his pain _and_ his hollering. She pushed him back into the compartment as he fell; following the carcass into the room revealed yet another C-Pat interrogator reaching for a sidearm.

A swift swinging motion of her forearm revealed an activated omni-tool, which fabricated and let fly a shuriken; this hit the batarian full in the face, where one of the five razor sharp points buried itself in his lower left eye. The scream of pain quickly faded as the fast acting poison coating the blades paralyzed his diaphragm and stopped his heart, killing him before he collapsed to the deck.

Samantha could not help herself as she entered behind Xiùlán. "Better not let Griff see _that_ one, Love!" she said with a snarky grin. "He _already_ thinks we're too dependent on blades."

"Whatever gets the job done, Sammy." She looked at Buchanan, unconscious, stark naked, wrists tied together and hung from an overhead hook so his feet barely touched the deck. He was bleeding from multiple small cuts all over his torso, arms and legs; there were also numerous burns, as if applied with some kind of hot knife. Worse, a bare wire hooked through an electrical transformer and switch were wrapped around his genitals, and he was soaking wet.

"Dammit Griff, you're a gāisǐ de xuèxīng [該死的血腥 – _damn bloody_] mess!" Xiùlán said. Knowing they were running short of time, they went to work… Yuán grabbed him under his hips and lifted until Traynor could release his hands. They eased him down into one of the chairs his former interrogators had been using.

"Find his clothes, Sam," Xiùlán said as she gently removed the leather straps binding his wrists. Removing the electrical wire at this point was problematic. Voltage and amperage were the same things, no matter the race. It appeared enough amps had been applied to severely burn the skin the wiring was wrapped around.

There was no painless way for her to remove it, so she carefully cut the lead on either side of Griff's scrotum, then applied some disinfectant and medi-gel to the area; she left the wires that had burned into his flesh for the asari doctor to sort out once they were safely back on the _Ionsaí_.

Sam came back with what was left of Griff's pants and shirt. "Let's get 'im dressed before I puke… Fuckin' batarians. Glad you kicked that big bastard in his nuts, Xiùlán. Hope it still hurts him in 'ell!" They hurriedly pulled Griff's pants up his legs; Sam leaned him forward in the chair while Xiùlán put his shirt on and secured the remaining fasteners. Sam attached an ME generator to his collar; powered on, it enabled her to stand him up from the chair, allowing Xiùlán to finish pulling up and fastening his pants. "Boots?" Xiùlán asked.

"Didn't find any… none of his gear either," came Traynor's reply. "Let's get back into the maintenance tunnel. I'll set his shield and ME generators to explode soon as we're out of sight."

Sam opened the hatch and took a quick look in both directions. Passageway empty, hatches still closed and locked. "Come on," she hissed. Grabbing Griff's left arm, she helped Xiùlán guide his nearly weightless form back to the storage room. They were nearly safe inside when Xiùlán heard noises from behind.

She turned around to look as Sam pulled Griff inside; a shadowy figure, cloaked! Thinking, '_Shénme tā mā de shì shénme?_' [什麼他媽的是什麼？– What the fuck is that?] Xiùlán grabbed the shadowy extended right arm and pushed down and to her left, but not nearly fast enough or far enough – she heard the explosive discharge and felt the specially designed round tear through her armor and travel straight into her thigh. The impact of a tiny grain of metal moving at ultrasonic speed shattered her thigh bone, causing her to scream in shock and pain as she collapsed to the deck and curled into a fetal position.

Almost before she finished falling she heard an impact and the grunt of someone's wind getting knocked out of them as they fell heavily to the deck beyond, followed by the sickening crunch of someone's skull slamming into the deck plates hard and rapidly in succession… once… twice… three times. She felt Sam grab her shoulders, try to gently turn her.

"Dammit Xiùlán! How bad?" She heard her name through the rushing sound of her heart pounding in her ears. "Xiùlán!" She couldn't open her eyes. There was only searing pain.

"Líkāi wǒ, sà mǐ!" [離開我，薩米！– _Leave me, Sammy!_] she hissed between clenched teeth. "Hǎidào húndàn… zǐdàn… dǎ suìle wǒ de zuǒ tuǐ sà mǐ! [海盜混蛋… 子彈… 打碎了我的左腿薩米！– _Pirate bastard… bullets… broke my left leg Sammy!_] Thinking was difficult… she was still in China, right? There was no way in hell she had left her home only to have this much pain inflicted on her! Now someone was shouting at her. Sammy? Why was she shouting?

"…Xiùlán! You have to focus, _please_, Xiulan! I can't understand you! Galactic! I need you to speak in Galactic!"

Yuán roused herself, attempted to answer her lover. "The pain! Put… a bullet… in… my head, Sammy, please! My leg's busted! Getting sick… must… have… been… polon… polonium coated."

Her memory of the next few minutes was hazy. She remembered Sam fiddling with her collar, then saying something about _'bloody hell'_, a piece of leather between her teeth… she screamed through the leather she was biting down on; there was pain, searing, burning pain. Her thigh was on fire as the shattered ends of the bone ground together. She just wanted it to stop. She tried to speak… could only sob in agony. She thought, _'Wèishéme nǐ bù bǎ zǐdàn zài wǒ de tóushàng? Sà mǐ, qǐng! Wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng sǐ!'_ [為什麼你不把子彈在我的頭上？ 薩米，請！我只是想死！– Why do you not put a bullet in my head? Sami, please! I just want to die!]

The pain began to subside. She was dimly aware of something, what?… cutting, ripping?… her pants leg, at her hip, at her crotch. Her leg felt… exposed… cold. Someone was talking… Sammy again? What was she saying? Just before she blacked out, she thought she heard, "Fight, Xiùlán… not… going… to let you die! You… not ready… meet… ancestors!" She was tired, so fucking tired. _'Zǔzōng! Qǐng dài wǒ!'_ [祖宗！請帶我！– Fathers! please take me!] she implored in her mind. She felt a hand behind her head, a voice whispering in her ear, "Here Luv, have a bit of water." She took a sip, then another… tasted good. "Xièxie," [謝謝 – _Thank you!_] she gasped. She felt cool lips on her cheek… a kiss. She was slipping away… into darkness… into sweet oblivion. She had to rest… needed to sleep…

* * *

Samantha heard the explosive discharge of a sidearm immediately followed by a scream of pain from her lover. Pushing Griff further into the storage area, she engaged her shield and went back out. Xiùlán was on the deck in a fetal position, clutching her left leg and crying in agony as a shadowy figure stood over her, savoring the moment. Sam launched herself at the figure, tackling him and repeatedly bashing the back of his head on the metal deck as she dug her thumbs into his eyes. Once he was motionless, she looked around wildly and determined the assailant was alone. Patting him down, she found the control and deactivated the cloak as she cursed him, "Goddamned sonova mutherfuckin bitch!" Leaving him wearing Griff's stolen shield generator for the moment, she checked the unconscious batarian over, finding most of the rest of Griff's equipment, including his omni-tool. Relieving the unconscious pirate of the stolen equipment and his M-3, she moved back to Xiùlán.

Sam was feeling a growing sense of utter helplessness, which she shoved into the back of her mind. "Dammit Xiùlán! How bad?" No answer – her eyes were firmly shut, face drawn tight in pain. "Xiùlán!"

Hearing nothing but Mandarin from her lover, she cried, "Galactic, Xiùlán!" Nearly in tears, Sam was trying desperately to stay calm. "You have to focus, _please_, Xiùlán" she pleaded. "I can't understand you! Galactic! I need you to speak in Galactic!"

When Xiùlán managed to say she was getting sick from a possible polonium coated round, Sam attempted to calm down. _'Okay, first things first…' _ Traynor pulled her backpack off in order to dig a field kit from the bottom; pulling out a medi-gel container, she injected the entire dose in and around the entry wound. Shouldering her backpack, she then activated Xiùlán's ME generator and dialed her mass as low as it would go.

"Hold on, Luv… This is going to hurt worse than all bloody 'ell, but I've got to get us out of sight. Hold your leg as best you can so I'm not making things worse. Here, bite down on this!" Sam gave her a piece of the leather binding she'd cut off Griff in the torture chamber. Grabbing Xiùlán's heavy jacket by the shoulder seams on either side of her neck, she asked, "Ready?"

Xiùlán bit down on the leather strip and nodded her head once; Sam pulled, eliciting a gut wrenching wail from Xiùlán. Sam didn't stop pulling until she had Xiùlán around the corner in the storeroom; removing the shattered ceramic armor plate, then cutting away the pants leg and under-armor from her leg made things look even worse. Thinking _'Shit! Shit! Shit! This is not good!'_ Sam tore open another medi-gel pack and applied the contents to slow the profuse bleeding. _'Gotta find some way to splint that leg. Have to try to extract the poison bits of that bullet.'_

The pain killer from the additional application of medi-gel worked its magic almost immediately, even though Xiùlán was still moaning and probably going into shock. Sam felt sure Yuán would die without medical help, but her main focus right now had to be getting them off this station. "Fight, Xiùlán. I am not going to let you die! You are not ready to meet your ancestors, do you understand me?!" Sam grabbed a water ration and ripped off the top with her teeth as she tenderly lifted Xiùlán's head. "Here Luv, have a bit of water."

Xiùlán took a sip, then another. "Xièxie," she gasped.

Sam gently kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Xiùlán. Fight!" Xiùlán's eyes fluttered closed as she passed out.

Sam grabbed an emergency blanket pack, unfolded it and covered her wounded friend, then went back out in the passage, clamped the ME generator on the batarian's shirt, lifted him and shoved him into the interrogation room. Here she hacked the local network, wiping the entire record of Griff's involuntary visit, then pocketed the OSD's. A final visual sweep turned up no more equipment; leaving, she closed and sealed the hatch, then ran back to the storage compartment.

Looking at all the containers stacked on the shelves, she discovered one labeled 'bantukoj' – towels, and another down below labeled 'kloro lesivo' – bleach. Grabbing both containers, she took the contents of each into the passage, where she hurriedly cleaned the blood spatter… Xiùlán's blood… from the deck and walls. She could hear noises at the far end of the passage – somebody was attempting to open that hatch.

Inspecting the grey metal deck, she felt it would stand up to a cursory inspection. A closer inspection would most likely reveal the blood stains she could not completely remove or had missed. She returned to the interrogation room and tossed the towels on the metal table, then returned the empty bleach bottle to its container and replaced it on the shelf. She went back to Xiùlán, who was mercifully still unconscious. Sam knew she couldn't leave her like that… She needed help, fast.

Checking on Buchanan, she was surprised to see he had regained consciousness. "Traynor! What happened? Where are we?"

Sam gave him a brief rundown on their situation. He looked at Xiùlán, unconscious on the deck.

"Dammit Traynor, why'd you two bother? Why risk your lives to come back for me?"

"We couldn't leave you in their custody to answer all their questions," she calmly replied. "You were in pretty bad shape, and I expect you're still in a lot of pain, but I would really prefer saving the analgesics for Yuán." Noticing his surreptitious attempt to scratch or massage between his legs, she added, "I wouldn't do that, Griff. We weren't able to remove all the batarian installed hardware. You have a bare wire wrapped around your… _endowment_. It's burned _into_ your skin, enough so it didn't seem prudent for us to attempt to remove it. Circulation appeared to still be okay, but I'll take another look when we're somewhere that's not _here_. Need to apply medi-gel to your torso as well. They really worked your ass over!"

Buchanan considered her assessment for a few moments. "Batarians never _could_ play nice. And C-Pat has sold their souls to the pirates? So, what's the plan for getting us out of this hell hole?"

"Now you're awake, you're going to help me get Xiùlán down a level, then we find a spot to bunker down for the wait. You can watch over her while I hack into the comm buoys from deck four. We have to stay out of sight until transport arrives. I'll need to find some way to immobilize her leg, or we won't be able to move her at all." Looking at Griff's hands, she observed, "Hands look better than when you were on that hook. How they feeling?"

"Better now all my weight ain't hanging from my wrists… got most of the feeling back, anyway," he replied. Nodding his head in Xiùlán's direction, he asked, "She really that bad?"

"You didn't see her, Griff. Nearly ripped my heart out! Which reminds me…" She got up, placed her backpack next to Griff and removed her heavy grey duster. Pulling the M-3, she said, "Artifact is in that backpack, Griff… it's what we came for. I just hope it's worth all this fuckin' pain."

"What are you going to do, Traynor?"

"What I _need_ to do… what I _have_ to do… to keep us alive," came the grim response.

* * *

_**A/N:** Traynor's turn to rescue Xiùlán. She needs to keep her lover and Buchanan alive and safe long enough for the Ionsaí_ _to send a rescue shuttle to extract them. But why does she need an M-3 heavy pistol? Find out next month when Chapter 25 is posted. Thanks for reading!_


	25. Retribution for Xiùlán

_But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality – _Terry Pratchett,_ Guards! Guards!_

* * *

**_Inamorata_**_ – _A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_n'Tuj raugh_** – Hell (Batarian)

* * *

Traynor reentered the interrogation room and crouched beside the injured pirate. Grabbing the bloody towels from his chest, she carefully folded one into a small square six layers thick. Discovering another strip of leather on a shelf, she unclipped and removed his upper body armor plates, then sliced his overshirt up the middle and removed it… This caused her to wrinkle her nose at the smell as she got close enough to bind his wrists together. _'Don't these fuckers ever bathe?'_ Holding her breath at the pungent odor, she next stood him up with assistance from Buchanan's ME generator attached to the waistband of his pants. Climbing onto a nearby table in order to lift his arms above his head, she managed to flip the leather binding over the hook recently occupied by Griff. Powering down the ME generator, she noted with satisfaction the pirate's toes were barely touching the deck. Samantha thought about stripping the rest of his clothes as she bound his legs together with a set of shackles. Deciding she didn't have the time to spare or the desire to see any more of the bastard's anatomy, she attached Griff's ME generator to the shackles and set it to maximum weight. Prodding him with the barrel of the M-3, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Hey… Pirate scum. Wake up," as she removed and pocketed Griff's shield generator.

The batarian, still groggy from having his head bashed against the deck, groaned as he blinked two uninjured eyes. As he focused on her, he spoke with all the loathing he could muster, "Fuck _you_, human." Leering at her chest, he added, "Give me a bit more time to rest… _I'll_ do you… You might even enjoy it… I _know_ I will!"

Samantha instantly recalled her female classmates laughing and taunting her as they held her down in order to allow a man to violate her in college. They had all helped strip her of her clothes while gleefully telling her she'd finally get to enjoy having _'real'_ sex with a man. She had nearly forgotten the pain… _and_ the humiliation.

Pointing to her face with two fingers in a 'V' as she shoved those memories aside, she replied quietly in a voice edged in steel, "My eyes are up _here_, shit for brains, and of all the cross-species relationship possibilities available in this bloody galaxy, fucking a goddamned batarian is at the very _bottom_ of my list, right below screwing a vorcha. Your life as you know it is finished, asshole… over and done. I'm about to set you on the path to meet the scumbag bottom feeders you call ancestors."

The malevolence in his eyes slowly began turning to fear as Traynor continued to speak in a calm, soothing voice. "You crippled my lover." Sam tilted her head to the right and stared unblinking, something she knew made her look homicidally crazy. "Surprised? I have a female lover… nothing surprising about _that_. Now, you may think, and I use _that_ term loosely, that just because _I_ am a human _and_ a female, that I don't have any balls. You probably believe we're all just brainless slabs of meat, good only for batarians to fuck. Your only _correct_ assumption would be my total lack of balls. What I _do_ have is a vagina! So-o-o-o much tougher than balls, tougher even than a krogan quad, pal." To prove her point, she kicked him hard in the crotch, causing him to holler in pain as he attempted to bring his legs up. The ME generator exerted more than enough pull to keep his feet planted on the deck, and the attempt sent excruciating pain through his arms and shoulders.

Cupping a hand to her ear, she asked, "What's that you say? Not so ready to fuck me now?" She kicked him again, making sure the entire top of her boot connected with her target. His futile attempt to bring his legs up to ease the excruciating pain was again met with failure as the ME generator continued to exert its dominance over his abdominal and leg muscles.

"I'm tired of listening to your whining." So saying, she used a sawing motion to force the unfolded towel past his pointed teeth as she continued, "Here's a bloody rag for you to bite down on. The blood is from my lover… I hope you enjoy the taste."

"Every batarian I've ever encountered seems to think human females are weak, that we can't fight, that we aren't natural born killers." Sam continued to speak in a soft, soothing voice. "You ever hear of Torfan? Of course you have. Humans kicked your ignorant asses off that miserable rock… the few that weren't butchered, anyway. And now, I've got some _new_ information for you."

She pulled the butterfly knife from the sheath strapped to her left calf; holding the polished blade a few centimeters in front of _her_ face, she drew within a hand's-breadth of _his_ face as she hissed past the blade, "_This_ woman is a killer. You displayed really poor judgment in coming here." Traynor slowly brought her head level. "Then you made the worst mistake of your miserable life. You put a polonium coated hammerhead round in my lover's leg, and for that, I intend to make _you_ suffer more than _any_ of your kind has _ever_ suffered."

Traynor placed the tip of her blade against the center of his chest and pressed ever so lightly, drawing a dot of blood. The pirate's eyes were riveted to her gloved hand, her fingers curled tightly around the grip, as she dragged the tip of the blade lightly down to his right side, leaving a pencil-thick line of blood in its wake, until stopping with the tip poised just above his hipbone, flat of the blade parallel to the floor, sharpened edge facing rearward.

_'__Come on, Traynor… What are you waiting for? He __shot__ Xiùlán! Even now she may be __dying__. Shove the fucking knife into his side! Gut the bastard! Do it! __DO IT__! __NOW__!…'_

Without changing her facial expression, she sighed heavily, then slowly pulled her arm and hand away from his side. _'Can't do it… Xiùlán didn't train me to be a fucking butcher… I'm __better__ than 'im!'_

Bringing her lower leg up, she slid the knife back into its sheath, then turned and walked a slow circle in front of him. "I was going to open you up… see just how much pain you could stand. I told you I'm a killer, and that is a fact I'll prove to you shortly, but I'm not a criminal. I intended to torture you, maybe even slice your nuts off and feed them to you." Traynor stepped back in front of him, drawing within a few centimeters of his face once again. "For now, you need to know my lover's name… Yuán Xiùlán… and I'm telling you this because you _need_ to know the name of the person you maimed. She's the reason you are in your current predicament, and she's the reason I'm going to deliver your payback."

With that, she swiftly placed the thickest portion of the folded towel over the muzzle of the M-3, pushed it hard against the middle of his left thigh and pulled the trigger. The muffled discharge from the heavy pistol was almost instantly overwhelmed by his screams of pain, surprisingly loud for being forced past the gag in his mouth.

"I'd really love to stay, torture you some more, but I'm out of time, and so are you." Clipping the M-3 to a hard point on her upper thigh, she parted her lips slightly and used the tip of her tongue to languidly lick her upper lip as she grinned at him. "Truth be told, you don't deserve a mercy shot, but I'm not leaving any witnesses, and I promise you, you _will_ see more of your kind in _n'Tuj raugh!"_. Stepping back to give herself room to swing her arm, she activated her omni-tool with a twitch of her wrist, which responded by instantly fabricating a silicon-carbide blade, suspended in an ME field next to her forearm. As it began cooling from white-hot to golden orange to reddish-blue, she made a fist, causing the blade to pivot forward; as it completed its 180° rotation, Traynor effortlessly shoved the blade up into the pirate's chest from just below his sternum, then jerked her powerful forearm up and away in order to break the blade off at its pivot point on her wrist.

The grunts of pain with every exhale became a series of blood-curdling screams, the wailing muffled by the folded, bloody cloth still between his teeth; the pirate's two remaining eyes rolled back in their sockets from the combined pain of the shattered bone in his left thigh and the ceramic blade shoved up into his lower chest. The wailing cries of agony trailed off rapidly as his lungs ceased drawing in the air needed to scream. His head lolled forward as he slowly, agonizingly died from suffocation brought on by the now hardened blade protruding from his abdomen. Removing the ME generator and shackles, she held her breath as she removed the pirate's boots.

Checking her chrono confirmed her own sense of being out of time; she took a final look around, rechecking that all evidence of her presence (with the exception of the new room decoration) had been eliminated. Cracking the door open, she listened before quickly looking up and down the passage. Hatches at either end were still sealed and locked, though there was still noise coming from the one furthest from their location. Sealing the hatch to the interrogation room behind her, she took a final look around the passage and was horrified to discover evidence on the floor of her dragging Griff and Xiùlán into the storage compartment.

Re-entering the storage compartment, she found several more towels and some kind of unscented cleaner. After hurriedly scrubbing the drag marks from the flooring, she rechecked for evidence of their presence; finding none, she then sealed and locked the hatch. She walked around to check on Xiùlán, prompting Griff to ask, "Traynor. What in hell did you just do? Sounded really muffled, but I thought I heard a gunshot… maybe some kind of howling."

"Only what needed doing, Buchanan," she replied as she handed him the pirate's boots. "Try those on… hopefully they'll fit well-enough to protect your feet."

"You killed him, didn't you? I barely heard the shot. Then that _was_ muffled screaming I heard afterwards. That room must really be sound-proofed."

"Couldn't leave 'im alive," she answered in a subdued voice. Sam stared at him sadly as she handed him his shield generator and ME generator. "Had to eliminate any witnesses, and he saw Xiùlán and me bring _you_ in 'ere. If the rest of 'em come in here, they'll find our exit route. It's a complication we don't need, not now." She paused for several moments before continuing, "You are _not_ to tell Xiùlán I killed 'im, understand me? The gunshot was in his left thigh, which I would also appreciate you not sharing with her. The worthless bastard felt the same pain she felt when _he_ shot _her_. Difference is, she's keeping her leg _and_ her life."

"You're going to have to tell her the whole story at some point, Traynor," Griff observed. "You cannot bury that inside yourself or it will flat out _eat. you. alive_."

"It already _does_ bother me, Griff. I was gonna use my knives to torture the bastard, but…" She paused, looked at the floor for several moments before continuing, "I couldn't bring myself to open 'im up. I put a bullet in his thigh, then finished 'im with my omniblade." Her voice was hoarse, ragged sounding. "I'll tell her what I did, but she has to be well first. I want to… I'll _need_ to hold her close when I _do_ tell her. I need to make her realize how badly that son-of-a-bitch ripped my heart out when he shot her." After a quick glance at Xiùlán, she finished with, "She _has_ to know I am not some stone-cold murderer, even if the batarians can't make the same claim."

The skin on Xiùlán's injured leg was blotchy in color and cold to the touch, even though she appeared to be running a fever. Inspecting the contents of the containers on the shelves, she discovered first-aid supplies, which she grabbed with great delight. There were a number of needle probes, no doubt to be used for some insidious form of torture; sterile dressings and containers full of water. More medi-gel. Pain killers, surprisingly enough, both liquid and oral. Best of all, there was an inflatable splint. _'Halleluiah!'_

She tossed a water container and pillpac full of oral pain killers to Griff. "Take a couple of those, and drink as much water as you can get down. Make sure you don't spill any!" Working quickly, Sam shot more pain killer in Xiùlán's leg, applied the contents of a medi-gel pack to the entry wound, dressed it, then pulled the air-splint from its container.

It wouldn't keep her leg from bending at the hip, nor would it allow Xiùlán to stand, but it should be sufficient to keep her thigh and lower leg immobilized. She smoothly wrapped the cloth from Yuán's sliced under-armor and pants leg back around her thigh and lower leg, then ever so gently pulled the splint up her leg until it was against her crotch. "How do those boots fit, Griff? Can you stand on your own?"

He grunted with the effort, then replied, "Done. Fit's a bit tight and the odor's nauseating, but I'll manage."

"Good. I need you to police this compartment. Pick up everything on the deck, then check it all again. There's dust everywhere… redistribute all of it so there are no foot prints, hand prints, butt prints or body prints, especially at the entry and around those shelves. This place has to look undisturbed, or we won't live long enough to wonder how we screwed up."

"You got it, Ma'am," he acknowledged as he got busy.

"Xiùlán… _Xiùlán…_ can you hear me?" Sam whispered in her ear. No response. _'My Mandarin is rusty as 'ell, but here goes…'_ she thought to herself. "Xiùlán, nǐ néng tīngdào wǒ ma?" [你能聽到我嗎？_– __can you hear me?_] Sam was rewarded with a groan of pain as Yuán attempted to lick her lips, which looked dry and parched. Holding up a container, Sam tipped her head up and whispered, "Zài zhèlǐ, Àiqíng, yǒu yīdiǎn shuǐ." [在這裡，愛情，有一點水。_– __Here, Luv, a little water._]

"What the hell language is that, Traynor?" Buchanan wanted to know. "I've heard Xiùlán speak it at times, but never with so much concern."

"That's because she's usually cursing," Traynor answered softly as she managed to get a few sips of water past Xiùlán's lips. "It's 'er native tongue, Griff. Mandarin… Chinese. I really suck at speaking it. She usually teases me… says I'd _never_ be understood in Shanghai… that's where she was born. Funny thing…," Traynor's voice hitched as she thought about their time in training, "…_she_ has always been able to understand me."

Understanding dawned on Buchanan as he watched Sam tenderly ministering to her injured lover. "We'll get her out of here, Traynor… we'll keep her alive _and_ get her to safety."

Sam ignored Griff as she kept whispering in Xiùlán's ear. "Hang in there, Xiùlán. Drink a little water. I took care of the shooter. We need to move or we'll get caught. Sam kissed her cheek and forehead; both were feverish. Traynor returned to her crouch and slowly, carefully inflated the air splint. Other than a groan or two, Xiùlán gave no indication she'd felt the tube inflate. Sam checked the charge on her ME generator… down to 24%. _'Shit. We'll need to swap out power cells in all of 'em all once we're below.'_ Energizing the collar mounted device, Sam again set it to effectively reduce Xiùlán's mass to 3% of Earth normal... almost light enough to float away if they weren't careful. "Griff, how're you doing?"

"I've got it all picked up, Traynor. We'll sweep our tracks back to the access as we go."

"Good. Look on the shelf behind me, find the item called _ĉelo potenco_… grab it. Power cells inside will help us. Two of 'em are almost flat, but the rest are good. Grab our stuff… I'll go down first so I can catch her and the packs. You follow me down; I'll catch your feet, hold you in place so you can re-latch the grille locks."

Traynor whispered in her _inamorata's_ ear, "Okay, Xiùlán, time to leave here." Traynor wrapped her arms and legs in the blanket so they'd stay in place, then gently picked up her lover, bringing her gently to a slightly head down position and moved her to the opening. "Here, hang on to 'er," she said to Griff.

"Why's her head down?"

"Trying to keep her legs higher than her heart," Traynor said with a shrug. "I'm hoping it'll hinder the pressure on 'er leg and slow the bleeding. Just watch her close… might make her puke."

Traynor swept away the remaining tracks leading to their access hole, then eased her way down. _'Seems easier goin' down,'_ she thought as her chest slid easily through the opening; she lightly touched down on the deck below.

Looking up, she hissed, "Packs." Buchanan obliged by carefully dropping all they had down to Sam's waiting arms. Setting these aside, she looked up and whispered, "Xiùlán. Be careful!"

Buchanan gently eased the unconscious woman down through the opening until Sam had her by her hips; Sam then eased her friend to a horizontal attitude on the deck and increased her mass slightly so she'd stay put. Griff had finished rearranging the dust above to hide their intrusion. Looking down to Traynor, he reduced his own mass, then eased his legs into the opening. Sam caught his feet and held him in place as he finished with the floor before pulling the grille back into place, where he carefully applied the latches to keep it from being removed from above. "It's done, Traynor."

Sam eased Griff the rest of the way to the deck. Moving away from the opening, they worked to eliminate the tracks in the dust under the grille to the point where they were standing. Anyone shining a light down from above would see the same dust that had existed since the station's completion decades ago.

"Okay, where to?" Buchanan asked.

Pulling up the station map on her omni-tool she said, "As far away from this spot as we can go… opposite side and to the right, back the way Xiùlán and I were traveling before this detour." Shutting her tool down, she helped Griff pick up and distribute several packs to carry before picking up the last three; handing Xiùlán's night vision visor to him, Traynor set his omni-tool to shine in infrared, then gently picked up the injured woman and said, "Boots still okay?"

Buchanan grunted, saying, "Pretty tight, but better than nothing at all."

"Okay… just watch your step." Nodding her head in the direction they needed to move, she finished with, "You take point. Let's go."

Sam quickly found that moving while carrying Xiùlán was quite awkward… she had to continuously reposition her burden in order to dodge around and over all the obstructions in their path. Muttering to herself, "Should have found some kind of litter," she mentally kicked herself for even _thinking_ that. Griff was in no shape to be carrying any more than the packs he had. She had left her intercom on 'voice–active' so she could keep in contact with him. Surprisingly, he was making good progress, even being mindful of avoiding as many obstacles as possible. "How you doing, Griff?" she whispered.

"Wouldn't even be moving without the pain pills, Traynor. How much further?"

Sam looked behind them, then ahead. "About 270 meters or so. Look for any kind of glow indicating a light source."

Griff continued to lead them closer to the curved inner pressure hull of the compartment. After they'd moved roughly 200 meters, he paused and crouched as he powered down the infrared light. Raising his goggles, he let his eyes adjust for a few seconds, swinging his gaze back and forth in the direction that had caught his attention. He finally spotted the faintest of glows, about 50 or 60 meters away and close to the curved inner hull. "Got it, Traynor. Let's go."

Pulling the goggles back down and re-energizing the light in his omni-tool, he moved carefully in the direction of the glow, looking around continuously for any motion or audio sensors. As he came close to the source of the faint light, he set all the packs down and turned to help Traynor with her burden. "How's she doing, Sam?"

"Still alive. Feverish. I hope I brought enough stuff with me to treat her and keep her comfortable. I don't think we'll going to get out of here for a couple of days."

They both looked around the immediate area. "Not much here except electrical conduits and a few junction boxes," Griff observed. "I can tap into one of those boxes for power, give us places to recharge our power cells."

"Do it. Our ME cells are really in need of a recharge," Sam replied. She placed Xiùlán on the deck and raised her injured leg by blocking under her knee and foot. Sam dampened a piece of cloth and gently wiped Yuan's face, then placed it on her forehead after whirling the cloth several times in a circle to cool it. She next moistened her lover's lips, but decided against trying to have her drink any water until later.

Buchanan had tapped into a junction box and was busy plugging cells into sockets for charging. "Let me have all of Xiùlán's so we can get them all charged."

Sam removed Xiùlán's ME generator and pocketed the device after removing the power cell; this she handed to Griff for a recharge, along with her own ME power cell. Kneeling beside Xiùlán, she slowly deflated the splint and loosened it enough to slide it down to her knee. _'Damn, this looks bad!'_, Sam thought.

She retrieved the probes from among their first-aid supplies, along with some disinfectant and wipes. She gently cleaned the skin around the entry wound and meticulously inspected her entire upper leg for any signs of other injuries. Satisfied there were none, she carefully inspected one of the probes and discovered that one of its functions was to retrieve impossibly small data capsules buried in someone's flesh. _'Damn!'_

She looked at Xiùlán's face, then bent down and placed her mouth right next to her ear. "This is going to hurt worse'n all bloody 'ell darling, but I don't see any other way to get those particles out of your leg," she whispered.

Xiùlán grimaced slightly at this, then replied in a pained voice, "Kěle. Téngtòng shì fēicháng zāogāo de. Wǒmen zài nǎlǐ?" [渴了。疼痛是非常糟糕的。我們在哪裡？– _Thirsty. The pain is very bad. Where are we?_]

"My god, Griff, she's awake!" She whispered the bad news in Xiùlán's ear, "Still on Cartagena Station. Charging power cells, planning our next move." Traynor gently lifted Xiùlán's head and offered her some water. "Easy… not too much. I know your leg hurts like 'ell, Xiùlán… and it's about to get worse. Those polonium bits have absolutely _got_ to come out of there. I'll be as gentle as I possibly can my love, but it has got to be done if I'm going to get you outta this Dìyù bān dì dìfāng [地獄般的地方 –_hellish place_] alive."

Xiùlán responded with a grimace. She was a fighter, but nothing she had ever done had prepared her for the absolute agony she'd experienced. She didn't think anything Sam did from this point on would hurt nearly as much.

Sam pulled on a pair of surgical gloves after thoroughly sanitizing her hands; energizing the first probe, she adjusted its receptor to hone in on the radiation emitted by the shattered round in Xiùlán's leg.

Griff observed, "Traynor, don't insert that thing until you're absolutely certain it's locked onto a piece of that round. That's muscle tissue you'll be digging around in… you need to keep any movement inside her thigh to a bare minimum."

Sam grunted in acknowledgement as Griff crouched by Yuán's head, knees on either side of her ears. Reaching over, Buchanan grabbed each of her hands and held them tightly, grinning at her as he said, "You can squeeze the hell out of my hands, Service Chief… least I can do after you risked your life for me." Looking at Traynor, he nodded.

Sam bent over Yuán's face and whispered, "You need to meditate, Xiùlán. There is nothing here to be concerned about, nothing to be worried about. Breathe, my Luv. Simply breathe." Traynor's voice was soothing, peaceful… it carried Xiùlán to a place where summer breezes kissed her hair, the sounds of insects and birds hovered at the edges of her consciousness, the waves from a distant ocean crashed onto a rocky shore. Her eyes fluttered closed, hands being held by Buchanan relaxed, the tenseness in her leg gradually gave way to relaxation as Sammy's softly spoken, repetitive phrases served to relieve Xiùlán's anxiety, helped deaden her pain. She breathed deeply as she entered a tranquil, semi-conscious state.

"Okay, Luv, here goes…" Sam gently moved the probe around the surface of her thigh until it registered the strongest signal. She squeezed the actuator, sending the device deep into Xiùlán's muscle.

Xiùlán's only reaction was an agonized grunt and a tightening of her grip on Buchanan's hands as the probe entered her thigh and latched onto the radioactive fragment of the batarian's polonium round. Traynor reversed the probe's polarity, causing it to follow its entry path as it reversed straight out her leg. "Got it," Sam murmured. She injected medigel into the wound to seal it against blood lost and dull the pain, then examined the probe. The bullet fragment, for the amount of radiation it was emitting, was minute in size. _'Probably three, four more of these still in her leg, dammit,'_ came the thought.

The corners of Xiùlán's mouth were turned up ever so slightly. Griff caught Sam's eye and observed, "Never knew a woman with such a strong grip. I'm really ashamed to admit she's hurting my hands a bit."

Traynor smiled. "Don't be. She has worked all her life on building her muscles. You think the bulges in this thigh are an accident?"

Griff shook his head in amused denial. "You know… I was trying to _ignore_ the appearance of her leg. I can't recall seeing _that_ much muscle on many _male_ soldiers."

Sam didn't reply as she readied the next four probes. Within a matter of minutes, she had the last bits of polonium-coated bullet fragments extracted from Xiùlán's thigh. She covered all the wounds in sterile pads after applying liberal amounts of medigel; the air splint was the last step. "It's all up to you now, my love." Traynor kissed her as she laid her arms alongside her body and wrapped the blanket around her.

With a thready sigh, she looked at Griff and said, "Is there anything in your pack to eat?"

"Sure." After rummaging around a bit, he tossed a field-rat in her direction, pulled out another and opened it to eat. "Probably not the best food you've ever eaten, but it'll keep you alive."

Traynor placed her back against a nearby support column and opened the package with her teeth after pulling off her surgical gloves. "You're assessment of this stuff is correct, but it'll fill the hole for now," she replied after rapidly downing half the contents. Taking a sip from her water container, she finished off the contents of the package with a grimace. "Certainly not for those with sensitive stomachs."

Griff appeared to be enjoying his 'dinner', something Traynor attributed to the length of time he'd been in the Navy. As soon as they were done, Sam pulled on another pair of surgical gloves as she rose to her feet and grabbed a fresh container of medigel; looking at Buchanan she said, "Okay, Chief. Time for you to strip." The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced by one of shy embarrassment. "You heard me, Griff. Off with your clothes. I need to treat your injuries before I attempt to access the comms level."

Buchanan pulled his shirt off first, then hesitated until Traynor commented, "Geez, Chief. I've already seen your equipment… and probably closer than _any_ of the women you've bedded in the past… Let's have 'em off, then."

Mumbling curses under his breath, he removed his purloined boots, then gingerly pulled his pants down to his ankles and stepped out of them. Traynor grinned at his discomfiture as she crouched in front of him. "Spread your legs a bit, and for gosh sakes, don't _flinch!"_ Traynor inspected the wire left by the batarian interrogators and commented, "That _couldn't_ have felt good when it was energized." She gently tugged on one end of the wire she'd cut, but there was no movement except to pull at the skin surrounding it.

Griff chuckled, despite standing stark naked in front of a woman he barely knew professionally. "You don't know the half of it, Traynor. Batarians were laughing their asses off! Every time that wire was energized… well, let's just say _that_ soldier came right to attention. They were having so much fun with that wire I think it distracted them from beating me as much."

"Damned batarians. No wonder it's burned into your skin. You're lucky they didn't think to use that wire for an amputation! Happened to a companion of ours… tank driver on Klensal – Marine Sergeant Tobias Perkins – slavers mutilated him, _then_ killed him. As for this thing," she said as she pointed to the end of the wire, "it's as we thought when we found you – it'll need to be removed in a sterile room under local anesthesia. Best _I_ can do for you is apply medigel all the way around… follow the burn line. Grab underneath your sack, Chief, and pull everything up so I can get…"

Griff was only _too_ happy to comply – _anything_ to keep _her_ from having to handle his scrotum and penis. After finishing the application, she worked her way around his legs, dabbing medigel on the many burns and punctures inflicted on him; standing, she worked on his torso, front and back, until she came to the last burn on his side. Standing in front of him, she smiled lightly and snarked, "Would you have rather had a man do all that for you, Chief?"

Griff made a move to pull his pants back on as he thought about her question. "Truthfully, I don't think it would have made a bit of difference to me. Not used to having _anyone_ tend to me down… _there_."

"Just another part of your body, Chief." She pulled her surgical gloves off and pulled her gauntlets back on, sealing them to the sleeves of her under-armor shirt. "I'd hate for you to lose any functionality because I didn't take care of your injuries." Holding his shirt out so he could shove his arms in the sleeves, she added, "Better get used to it, 'cause I'm going to ask Dr Jakira T'Lana to take care of you once we're safe on the _Ionsaí_."

"An asari doctor?" Griff was incredulous. "Do you _really_ think that's necessary?"

"I do," she said. "Griff, that stinkin' wire has _got_ to come outta there as soon as possible. I don't think you should wait until we're back at an Alliance facility." Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked up earnestly at his greenish-gray eyes as she concluded, "Trust me… You didn't see it as close as I did, and I'm telling you it simply cannot wait."

Looking defeated, Griff simply nodded, then asked, "What now?"

Traynor took a few steps and grabbed her power cells. "You stay with Xiùlán, keep an eye on her condition… give her some water if she wakes. I'm going to see what I can do to get us a ride out of here." Handing him her backpack, she added, "Keep this _safe_. If that artifact gets lost or destroyed, _every _damned bit of pain we went through will have all been for nothing."

"Keep your comlink open, Traynor. If you step in a pile of shit you can't extricate yourself from, I'll come help you."

Samantha looked admiringly at the big man and replied, "Appreciate it, but you need to stay with Xiùlán and keep that artifact safe. That's _all_ that matters now." Sam checked her weapons, made sure her kinetic barrier was functioning and looked at Xiùlán. "Wǒ huì jǐnkuài hái gěi nǐ, wǒ de àirén," she whispered. [我會盡快還給你，我的愛人,_\- I'll be back to you as soon as possible, my love_] With that, she turned and headed towards the next access hatch.

* * *

** CARTAGENA STATION • LEVEL FOUR, COMMUNICATIONS LEVEL **

Traynor hacked the lock on the access hatch from a distance so it wouldn't auto-open at her approach; standing by the latched edge of the panel, she grabbed a handle and held the door to prevent it swinging open when she released the bolt. After listening intently at the door for several minutes, she deemed it safe enough to crack the hatch in order to take a look outside.

Being so close to the outboard hull of the station, she wasn't surprised at the lack of activity in the corridor outside. Even though she knew the futility of cloaking on a batarian manned facility, she energized it anyway – a few of the C-Pat members on patrol were Turian; fewer still were human. The uncertainty her shadowy figure would cause if it _was_ seen far outweighed the disadvantages of using it in the first place.

_This_ level of the station possessed less space than that of the level above, and it was sub-divided further into sleeping compartments for 350 crew. That part of the space _not_ dedicated to crew rest consisted of a number of comms compartments; each was devoted to a state-of-the-art system, independent of the equipment installed in the previous or next compartment. She eased her way past several closed doors before finding the one she wanted; the compartment housing the interstellar communications equipment, set up to send to and receive from the three massive comm buoys serving the region of the abyss closest to the station.

Carefully unlocking the door, she entered several commands into her omni-tool before carefully entering the darkened room. Once she was sure her physical presence wasn't being recorded, she inspected the entire compartment, including the area _behind_ the massive cabinet housing the comms equipment, just to make sure there wasn't a hidden entrance – or exit – that could be used against her.

After hacking the lock on the door so it would silently alert her to any attempt to open it, she dialed in the frequency the _Ionsaí_ would be monitoring, activated the massive radio system and sent her emergency pickup message in a coded microburst. She waited long enough for a reply, which came rather more quickly than anticipated. Downloading it to her omnitool for decryption later, she shut down all the machinery after eliminating the evidence of her electronic trespassing.

Traynor opened the door just enough to inspect the passageway; seeing no one in either direction, she energized her cloaking shield, armed her omni-tool and left the compartment, walking rapidly back the way she'd come. She was almost to the hatch, just passing the last door when it opened without warning. She instantly pressed herself against the opposite wall and froze as two batarian's sauntered out from what was revealed to be a lounge area with tables, at which several others were sitting, eating, drinking and smoking.

Sam thought for a brief instant she might have gotten lucky, as it appeared both of the C-Pat officers would continue towards the far end of the passage. Unfortunately, one of them turned and looked at the exact spot where Sam was standing.

Pulling his sidearm was the last mistake the batarian ever made; as he was taking aim at the shadowy figure he was just barely able to see, a powerful arm whipped across in front of him, just below his receding chin. He was still standing several seconds after a massive amount of blood began running like a waterfall down his chest; his head rocked backwards from the fist connecting with his nose, increasing the rate of blood flow from his sliced open neck and knocking him off his feet. The other batarian, having turned to see what was happening behind him, died almost instantly when Traynor punched him hard in the middle of his chest. The omni-tool launched a white-hot ceramic blade; this flew over her knuckles, piercing the batarian's sternum, heart and spine before the point exited his back.

Turning back to the lounge area, she hit the next guard in the throat as he was coming at her, crushing his airway with her knuckles as she sliced his midriff open with the butterfly knife in her right hand. The next two, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, encountered Traynor's boots as she leapt straight up and kicked both of them in their faces with enough force to fracture their skulls – they may as well have run headlong into a concrete wall. As these two were crashing to the floor, Sam unleashed several shuriken, one after the other; each of the poisoned blade tips finding its mark in the faces of the remaining batarians just rising from the tables to join the fray.

When all movement had ceased, she looked around the room. Finding another door towards the back, she quickly hacked the lock to ensure it would stay closed before returning to the main entry and outer passage, where she hastily dragged the two dead guards back into the room.

Sealing the door from the outside, she quickly made her way back to the ladder leading up to the utility tunnel access hatch between this deck and the 'secure' level five above. Once inside, she relocked the hatch, then made her way back to where she'd left Griff and Xiùlán.

"Didn't hear much over the comms, Traynor." Griff smiled as he added, "There _did_ seem to be a few grunts from exertion. Resistance must have been light."

"Got discovered by a nest of the bastards… all dead now, but the alarms will be going off soon as someone walks into that passage. Right now, I have to decrypt the message I received from the _Ionsaí_. Should tell us where and when we'll be picked up."

"Understood. Think they can get here before the day is out?"

"We'll see, Griff." She placed her back against a metal beam next to Xiùlán and slid to a squatting position beside her injured friend. Opening the compressed message on her omni-tool, she worked her way through the decryption protocols until the complete text of the message was revealed.

"Looks like we need to go down to sub-level one-alpha – it's a service tunnel running along the middle circumference of the station – tunnel is round, two-meters in diameter. Uses hover cars to ferry supplies to the various receiving and shipping docks, like the one where all this started." Sammy studied the schematic accompanying the text. "There's a service stairwell about thirty meters further along. We can go down the ladder, access the tunnel and catch a ride on a couple of the cars. Their programming can be over-ridden easy enough. We just need to reach the receiving dock at sub-level one, section nine."

"What happens then?" Griff wanted to know. "What's the timeline?"

"A squad of commandos using _our_ shuttlecraft will fly into the dock from the _Ionsaí_. They'll send us a signal just before they arrive, then home in on our beacons. We enter the warehouse, get in the shuttle and fly away. Need to be there in five hours.

A snort of derision was Buchanan's answer. "I will give you my entire salary from this operation if getting off this miserable station proves to be _that_ simple. Personally, I think we'll have to shoot our way out of here. Be lucky if we all make it off!"

"Have a little faith, Griff," Traynor replied. "It may not come to that." Traynor leaned over Xiùlán and whispered her name.

"Sà mǐ…," came the whispered reply. "When can we go home?"

Traynor gave her lover a bit of water as she replied, "Soon, darlin'… very soon."

* * *

_**A/N:** RL intruded on me and kept me down for the entire month. My apologies for posting this chapter a bit late. Those of you following _Transformation: Part II_ may have to wait an additional week for an update. I've been better in the past - right now, my main goal is sleep as I attempt to shake this miserable cold. Thanks for you patience! _


	26. Clandestine Extraction

_We can never be gods, after all – but we can become something less than human with frightening ease. – _N.K. Jemisin,_ The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms _

* * *

**_C-Pat –_** Cartagena Patrol, analogous to C-Sec (Citadel Security Services), employing mostly batarians  
**_Inamorata_**_ – _A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_n'Tuj raugh_** – Hell (Batarian)

* * *

**** CARTAGENA STATION **•** ON THE MOVE BETWEEN LEVELS ****

After waiting for nearly four hours in the utilities tunnel between levels four and five, Griffen Buchanan and Samantha Traynor, carrying a mostly unconscious and critically injured Yuán Xiùlán, made their way thirty meters to a utility stairwell; Traynor had discovered these stairs would allow them to descend to sub-level one-alpha, a service tunnel used for transporting supplies to the various loading docks around the circumference of the station.

Traynor cautiously descended the stairwell first, all her senses attuned to any hint of patrolling members of C-Pat. Finding no evidence of recent visits by anyone, she helped Griff carry Xiùlán down, followed by their packs. This new level proved to be populated only by computer-controlled hover-carriers, all moving at a brisk walking pace through the two-meter diameter tunnels that opened on either side of the small control compartment in which they found themselves.

Griff waited with Xiùlán as Traynor hacked into the automated transport system – she needed a hover-carrier large enough to carry the three of them to the receiving dock at sub-level one, section nine; further, she needed to coordinate their arrival time to coincide as closely as possible with the arrival of the commandos aboard the shuttle from the _Ionsaí_, the asari Oseros class corvette that had been their support vessel for this operation. After calculating the speed of the carriers, which had to travel in single file in the tunnels, she applied her result to the distance from their chosen rendezvous point.

As an empty carrier moved out of line to stop near their position, Traynor looked at Griff and explained, "We'll ride on this carrier to the receiving dock. Only trouble is there are several control compartments similar to this one along the way." Looking at the empty carrier, she concluded, "Since we cannot be sure there won't be batarians in those compartments when we pass by, we'll need to lie down on either side of Xiùlán. The cargo cover and lack of lighting should keep our forms from being easily seen."

Griff looked unconvinced, saying to Traynor, "Seems like we're just delivering ourselves into C-Pat's arms. What if there _are_ batarians in the control compartment at the receiving dock? We'll be at a distinct disadvantage while attempting to dismount from the carrier."

Traynor's frown conveyed as much as her reply. "They'll all be off chasing ghosts… or maybe even running from ghosts. Anyway, let's get our gear and Xiùlán loaded…"

Griff nodded his head, not quite believing his ears, but trusting she knew what she was doing as he started loading their packs at one end. Helping Sam with Xiùlán, they made sure she was comfortable – or as comfortable as she _could_ be with a shattered leg. There wasn't a lot of room left for him or Traynor, but she had him climb on nonetheless; He was positioned on his side, head by Yuán's feet; Sam would lie on her side as well, facing outward with her head near Xiùlán's. As she climbed on the carrier, she pulled the cargo cover over the three of them and their gear, covering herself last. The cover was a tightly-woven mesh material, so only a strong external light source would reveal what was underneath; Traynor and Griff however, would have a good view through the mesh, as long as they remained motionless.

Now all they had to do was wait until the station's computer, hacked and programmed by Traynor, reinserted their container into the traffic pattern, sending it on its way to the sub-level one, section nine receiving dock, where they'd rendezvous with commandos from the _Ionsaí__._

* * *

As their container was on its way to its assigned receiving dock, Traynor felt safe in allowing herself to doze; one of the many things she had learned in the past twenty months was how to 'listen' to her internal clock. This allowed her to fall asleep quickly in order to rest while sub-consciously remaining alert to any danger. Each time the container drew near the next control compartment, Sam automatically roused herself to watch and wait, to ensure they weren't discovered by C-Pat as they moved slowly past the dimly lit area.

As soon as they were beyond discovery, Sammy rolled over to face a semi-conscious Xiùlán, lying on her back with her left leg immobilized. "Nǐ zěnme yàng, xiùlán?" [你怎麼樣，秀蘭？- _How are you doing, Xiulan?_]

A whispered, "Wǒ hái huózhe…" [我還活著 –_I am still alive…_] brought a small smile to Traynor's lips. Kissing a feverish cheek, she whispered back, "Jiānchí zhù, ài." – [堅持住，愛 - _Hold on, love]_, then gave her a sip of water. Checking her chrono confirmed they should be nearly to the control compartment that would allow access to the section nine receiving dock.

Arming her omnitool for blade work, she waited patiently for the final part of the ride to end – when the container pulled out of the line, she expected a worker or two to be waiting; she'd need to silence them quickly _and_ keep them from triggering any alarms.

Within a few minutes, the container eased out from between the accompanying containers, coming to a stop beneath what appeared to be a rectangular passage in the overhead – Sam could see a couple of lights in the distance above her.

A kinetic barrier sprang up around the container as it slowly began ascending into the vertical passage; as soon as they were out of sight from below, Sam threw back the cargo cover enough to allow herself room to get off the platform while leaving Griff, Xiùlán and their packs covered. "Griff," she hissed! "Set the locater on Xiùlán's omnitool, along with your own. Ready heavy pistols in case I get overwhelmed by the dock workers – I don't expect C-Pat to show up immediately… all the station entrances to this area have been sealed by the computer."

"What are you going to do?"

"Get us out of here," came the whispered reply. "Keep Xiùlán and my pack safe."

As the container cleared the protective barrier around the access tunnel, Traynor sent a message to the _Ionsaí_ to let them know they were in the receiving dock, an area that looked very much like the warehouse from which they had started.

She leaped off the carrier and ran towards the center of the huge area, drawing the warehouse workers towards her. As she skidded to a halt and spun in place, she noticed with satisfaction there were no workers near the container. Drawing her butterfly knives from their sheaths, she held each so she could 'back slice' with her left and 'front slice' with her right; crossing her arms, she turned slowly in place, allowing the dim overhead light to glint off the shiny steel knives and the dull black of her armor.

Within seconds, one batarian came at her; wielding a two-meter long pry bar, he swung it in a horizontal arc at her head, continuing in a circle in an attempt to hit her legs. Missing as she ducked, he missed again when she leapt straight up. As she came down in front of him, she buried the knife in her right hand in his skull; releasing the knife handle, she grabbed the heavy metal bar from his hands and shoved the pointed end through the next dock worker as the first one went down. Feeling arms around her shoulders, she leaned forward while kicking back and upwards, the sole of her boot making a satisfying ›thunk‹ sound as it connected hard with his head… the arms fell away from her as he collapsed to the deck in an unconscious heap.

In one fluid motion she used her foot to hold the head of her first victim down; retrieving her blade from his skull, she hurriedly stood and spread her arms wide to stab a pair of workers coming at her from behind… with the knives each buried in two heavyset batarians, she held onto them for leverage to raise her hips and snap kick another batarian in the face. Feet back on the deck, she left the knives in her two victims and kicked another guy in the face before delivering a spinning roundhouse kick to one coming at her from the opposite direction.

Traynor was done waiting – she ran towards a pair of batarians and leaped; kicking the one on the right, she continued in a somersault, kicking the guy on the left with her other foot. Finishing her somersault, she felt another pair of arms around her shoulders. She repeated her head kick maneuver; this loosened the batarians arms, allowing her to grab his right hand in both of hers and spin and kick him in the midriff. She punched another worker while hanging on to her current victim with one hand, spun around and kicked number two in the head for good measure before using her free hand to grab her current victim's wrist; pulling down and rotating his arm back up, she spun him over in a violent throw to the deck.

She was grabbed from behind yet again – this time the batarian's arms were around her midriff. She used her right arm to strike down and back, hitting him hard in the crotch with her fist. At the sudden grunt of pain, she opened her hand and found the soft appendages, grabbed as much as she could through his pants and squeezed mercilessly… as his mouth opened to holler in pain, she filled it with an armored elbow, causing him to release her. Spinning to face him, she hit him in the mouth and nose with her triple snap punch, dropping him to the deck.

Two more batarians came at her, one from each side. She punched each of them alternately several times; when the one on her right fell, another immediately came at her with a straight blade. This she sidestepped – grabbing his wrist, she used his momentum to shove the blade in the batarian on her left, pulled the wrist she was still holding onto back and up to twist it around, painfully breaking the arm to which it was attached.

Stopping to look around and finding no more standing opposition, she took a deep, cleansing breath to center herself before quickly retrieving her butterfly knives and trotting back to the container as their shuttle pierced the outer kinetic barrier and landed close by. The port side hatch opened and Commando Luenia Phura leapt out to assist. Sam came running up as Griff started moving gear bags into the shuttle. Luenia assisted Traynor in gently moving Xiùlán into the cramped interior, where she was placed on the lower berth. With Griff and their equipment aboard, Traynor said, "Let's go, Eshela!"

Pilot Eshela T'Saida closed the hatch, lifted and spun the ungainly craft around and was through the kinetic barrier in short order. As they accelerated away from Cartagena Station, Luenia looked worriedly at Xiùlán. "We got your message she'd been severely injured… Jakira T'Lana is standing by. She'll attend to your partner as soon as we're back aboard and get her to the medical unit."

Studying Traynor for a few moments, she added, "Looks as if you could use a bit of help yourself… there's blood all over you, and there's a cut on your face." Reaching up with a finger, she lightly touched a now stinging slice in her cheek Traynor hadn't previously felt. She withdrew her hand at Sam's sudden intake of breath. "Looks like most of the blood came from the batarians. You normally take on so many at once?"

Looking at Xiùlán, she murmured, "I would take on ten times that many if it meant saving Xiùlán. She's everything to me… can't live without her."

"Are you two bonded?"

Sam swung her head around to look at the commando. "Not in the manner of the asari, no… but she _is_ the love of my life. I cannot conceive of an existence without her." Sammy leaned over Xiùlán and gently kissed her forehead. "We made it out, my darling."

* * *

**** ASARI CORVETTE ****_IONSAÍ_**** – LEAVING THE NEMEAN ABYSS ****

Traynor was sitting in the lounge immediately outside the _Ionsaí's_ Medical Unit. So concerned was she about Xiùlán she hadn't even gone to her quarters to drop her armor and get cleaned up, choosing instead to wait for word on Xiùlán's condition. Operations Chief Buchanan strolled in and, with a heavy sigh, sat down across from her. Without preamble he said, "That was some of the most _amazing_ hand-to-hand I've ever had the privilege of witnessing, Traynor. Did Xiùlán teach you how to do all that?"

Sam's smile didn't reach her eyes as she thought of her mentor. "Most of it… I've picked up a bit of my technique by just… doing things, emulating movements I've seen others performing, combining different disciplines. Some of what you saw came from asari commando training." With just a touch of a smirk, she added, "I even learned a few new things from Lì húa, Xiùlán's mom."

Buchanan shook his head. "Traynor, I watched you take out over fifteen batarians, all hell-bent on killing you. You actually flowed over and around them as if you were a small tidal wave… no wasted motion, no hesitation. It was almost as if…" here Griff stopped for a moment to think about what he'd observed. "It was like you were in a trance, Serviceman. Is that even possible?"

A shy smile from Samantha was all the answer Buchanan needed. "Shit, Traynor! How in hell did you learn to do _that_?"

"I didn't… learn it, that is. Xiùlán says I'm a natural, says I enter an altered state when I fight. I don't know how I do it… I just… I can look at a potentially dangerous situation – see all the possibilities – how I'll react to each threat as it's presented – before I even make my first move. Xiùlán fights the same way and, even with all her cunning and experience, says she wouldn't want to fight me… even sparring? I think I scare her."

"Damn, woman! You scare _me_! I hope I never wind up on your bad side – don't think I'd survive the encounter." Smiling, he added, "But…" here he indicated his facial decoration, "… If I'm ever attacked by a batarian with a blade again, I hope _you're_ my drinking companion."

Traynor smiled at Griff, then looked up as Doctor T'Lana came out of the Medical Unit. Standing to meet her, she asked, "Is Xiùlán…" her voice hitched before she could finish the question. Griff also stood and placed a hand on Traynor's shoulder as he finished the question for her. "How is she, Doc? You're going to be able to save her leg, right?"

Jakira split her attention between the humans as she answered, "We've stabilized her for now, and she's resting comfortably." Looking at Traynor, she said, "It's my understanding you performed some rather daring emergency field treatment. It made all the difference, I think… She could have _lost_ that leg. As it is, we're enroute to Thessia so we can get her some specialized treatment in the hospital in Serrice."

"You can't do that on this ship, Doctor?" Traynor was unknowingly wringing her hands until Griff snuck one of his big paws around her side and gently grabbed them.

"I'm afraid not, my dear. She'll get the best care available anywhere, never fear. After what the three of you have done for the asari, you deserve no less than first class treatment. Which reminds me, Operations Chief…" Doctor T'Lana looked up at Griff's greenish-gray eyes and said, "You're due in my outpatient exam room. Seems you've been hard-wired by the batarians?"

Griff's head dropped as he looked unhappily at Traynor, who reminded him, "Remember what I told you, Chief. It has to be done."

"Follow me, Mr Buchanan." Traynor heard a new snarkiness in her voice. "I don't see many human males on my exam table; I'm looking forward to an enlightening experience." She smiled up at the big man as she gently guided him with a hand on his elbow. "I can treat that knife scar on your face as well… was that a gift from another batarian?"

Griff's unhappy frown quickly became a small smile. "Yeah… I'm beginning to think batarian pirates and smugglers only see me as someone on which to practice their blade work. And this mission brought me a lot of burns in addition to the wires."

"I'll treat you well, Mr Buchanan… I dare say it will be a lot better than you were treated on Cartagena Station."

Before she left, Jakira turned back towards Samantha and said, "You can come in as well, visit with Ms Yuán if you wish."

Traynor reacted to this bit of good news with a genuine smile as she followed Griff and the doctor into the Medical Unit.

* * *

The compartment lights in the overhead were dim, with most of the ambient lighting coming from the belt rail around the room. With the exception of her left leg, Xiùlán was covered neck-to-toes with a thin sheet topped with a blanket; her thigh was bandaged and splinted and her leg was propped up from hip to foot with a foam platform that angled horizontally at her knee. The exposed foot was wearing a sock, presumably to help keep it warm in the coolness of the compartment.

Her skin color seemed much better, and Sammy could sense her body temperature was closer to normal when she applied her lips to the cheek closest to her; her kiss caused a pair of eyelids to slip open, bringing an instant smile to her lips. "Sà mǐ," she whispered. "Nǐ jiùle wǒ… [你救了我 - _You saved me_] … saved my life, got us out of that shit hole."

Traynor, mindful that she was still wearing her blood-stained armor, leaned over her lover to carefully embrace her, to kiss her softly on the mouth. "Doctor T'Lana has done all she can for you, Ai… [愛_ – __Love (Sam's meaning is 'luv')_] We're on our way to Thessia to get you some specialized treatment." She used her fingers and the palm of her hand to stroke a suddenly creased and worried forehead. "Don't worry, darling. I'll be with you the entire way. I'm not going to leave you behind on a strange planet."

"You've got blood all over yourself, Sà mǐ. It's not…"

"… It's not mine, sweetheart. Well, I'm told I have a cut on my cheek, but everything else is batarian… and now I know you're gonna be okay, I'm going to head back to our quarters, get cleaned up and changed, then clean my armor and knives." Pausing as a thought struck her, she added, "What happened to your armor and skins? Need me to take it all back with me as well?"

"Already in our quarters, Sà mǐ," came the tired response.

"You scared the livin' 'ell outa me, Xiùlán. I thought I was going to lose you!"

"Ah, Sà mǐ," came the whispered reply. "I wouldn't leave you behind… you're too important to me."

"Okay. You go back to sleep… I'll return in a while, soon as I clean up, have a bite to eat." Leaning over again, she tenderly kissed waiting lips. "Wǒ ài nǐ, Xiùlán." [我愛你， 秀蘭。_– __I love you, Xiulan._] "I'll be back soon."

As she moved away from her bed, Sam could tell that her lover had slipped back into blissful sleep; the peaceful expression on her face was something Traynor was happy to see after the previous pain-filled days. Returning to the lounge, she called Luenia Phura to escort her back to her quarters… she suddenly felt nearly too tired to stand. _'Food… just need some food… and rest. Haven't truly slept for… Hell, I don't remember how long it's been.'_ Her heart was soaring… Xiùlán was going to live! Still, there was something nagging at her, nibbling away at the edges of her happiness… something that she would not be able to deny. _'Tomorrow… deal with it tomorrow,'_ she told herself.

* * *

Sammy shed her armor, being careful not to let the outsides contact any of the soft furnishings – the carpet, upholstered chairs, the bed. She didn't want to transfer any of the bloodstains from the slick surfaces. The armor went into a large bag, which she would carry to the ships' armory in order to clean it.

Removing her under-armor mesh wasn't quite as messy – even covered with the blood that had spattered past her armor plates, it would wash out without a trace. Standing in front of the mirror, she removed her sport bra and panties and placed them in a container to be laundered. Of surprise to Traynor were some of the bruises on her arms, legs and torso.

Once in the bathroom, she turned the shower on and stepped into the stall, gasping at the shock of rapidly warming water hitting her side and back. As the temperature stabilized, she lathered a cloth and began washing her skin, noting that the water running off her body had a slight tinge of red, no doubt from the spatter that had come through the mesh as she moved about.

Wincing as she washed her chest, she noted the soreness in her shoulders and back. _'Not working out enough, Sammy. You shouldn't be this sore after that little bit of exercise.'_ She finished washing her torso, then legs and lower back. She lathered and rinsed her hair, noting the reddish hue that rinsed out. A repeat lathing and rinse produced only clear water, so she turned the water off a grabbed her towels.

Back in her bedroom, she pulled on fresh underwear and socks. Deciding to take a nap, she pulled the covers down and flopped into bed. _'Damn! I am tired. Just need to rest for a bit…'_

She quickly went to sleep, only to be disturbed by vivid dreams of being chased by countless batarian pirates, all nude, all aroused, all intent on catching her so she could be pinned to a wall and gang-raped. Their leader was none other than the bastard she hadn't tortured, hadn't cut into little pieces. When she woke, she was covered in sweat, such that she needed another shower. _'Damned batarians!'_

* * *

Captain Agana T'Lori and her XO Traeria Shoni stood from their chairs as the hatch at the far end of the conference room opened and a freshly bathed and rested Samantha Traynor entered. Walking up to the pair, she held out both hands palms up in an asari greeting of friendship and camaraderie. After returning the greeting, Traeria remained standing as Captain T'Lori bade Sammy to sit across from Traeria; two crew members entered, placed several covered trays on the table, along with plates and utensils, then left as unobtrusively as they'd arrived.

Captain T'Lori poured a glass of Elasa for each of them; holding her own glass up, she turned to Traynor. "You have completed a mission that many thought impossible, and for that, I offer you my thanks, personally and on behalf of the asari republic."

Sammy didn't quite know how to respond, except to pick up her own glass and tip it toward each of them. "Thank you, Captain. There were times, I must admit, that I thought we weren't going to make it off that station." Opening the small pack she'd brought in with her, she carefully pulled out the reason for the mission and set it on the table. "As we are going to Thessia, I would like for my squad to personally present this figurine to the Ministry of Antiquities." The 40cm high carved image of Janiri stood in the middle of the table, its light color in sharp contrast to the dark surface below it.

T'Lori and Shoni stood speechless, nearly unable to believe this figurine had finally been recovered intact after being in the hands of pirates and Blue Suns. "Magnificent," was all T'Lori could say.

Traynor took a sip from her glass, indicated the covered trays and asked, "May I?"

The captain's face darkened ever so slightly. "My apologies, Ms Traynor… I have forgotten my manners. Of course, of course, please, help yourself. You are familiar with the fish, ke'ah, and the various flavors of uloth, along with the various sauces we have. There is also a platter with a selection of native fruits, and another with numerous vegetables, all of which I am sure you will enjoy."

Traynor had snacked a bit before coming to meet with the captain and XO, enough so the edge had been knocked from her appetite, but she was still quite hungry, so loaded her plate and commenced to tell the pair of her adventures on Cartagena Station as she enjoyed the food and wine.

Just as she reached the part concerning the pirate she'd hung from the ceiling of the interrogation room, they were joined by Griffen Buchanan. Having had his many injuries treated by Doctor Jakira T'Lana, he had cleaned up and changed clothes. Captain T'Lori poured him a glass of Elasa and had him sit next to Traynor, who continued her tale, with additional input from Griff.

It didn't go unnoticed by XO Shoni that Sammy had, whether by accident due to the interruption caused by Griff's arrival or on purpose for whatever reason, apparently left out most of the details concerning her elimination of the batarian pirate. Looking at Sammy's face as she told her story, Traeria felt sure the specialist was keeping something to herself concerning _that_ particular batarian's death. Surreptitiously studying the human over the rim of her glass as she sipped Elasa, she thought, _'That one is hiding something… something that troubles her… is eating at her soul. I must find out what the conflict is… she needs to release what she's keeping hidden.'_

As Sammy's narrative reached the final fight with the batarian dock workers, Griff took up the telling of the tale, describing Sammy's hand-to-hand abilities in glowing terms to their asari hosts. Traynor fell silent, content to allow Buchanan to sing her praises. Both asari were impressed with Buchanan's account, asking for clarification and retelling here and there, as they looked at Traynor with open admiration, comparing her to the best of the _Ionsaí's _commandos.

When they had finished eating, Captain T'Lori had staff bring in and serve _Kaffe_ to everyone, after which Sammy and Griff left to return to their own quarters – Sammy left the figurine in the care of the _Ionsaí's_ captain, having no desire to be in charge of such a priceless artifact. As the humans left, T'Lori slowly, almost reverently, placed the figurine in the small pack Sammy had brought with her. "This will go in the ship's valuables locker under our thumbprints and iris scans. I do not want knowledge of this to get out… it is too valuable, and cost much to retrieve."

XO Shoni agreed. "That cost very well may have been too much for one person in particular, Captain. Samantha Traynor has not told us all that transpired, for reasons that I suspect are tied to her relationship with Ms Yuán. I hope to talk to her again before we reach the home world."

Agana looked at her XO with a raised brow marking. "If she needs _anything_, please let me know, Traeria. That young human has seen… and caused, by her own admission, a lot of death, close up and personal, just as our commandos see it. By asari standards, she is only a child. I would not want her experiences on our behalf to cause her mental harm."

"Soon as I learn something, I will inform you, Captain."

* * *

Samantha Traynor had been growing increasingly moody as Xiùlán continued to recover from injuries received during their mission on Cartagena Station; Sammy had taken to spending most of her free time sitting in a massive reclining chair located in the _Ionsaí's_ observation lounge. Staring out the massive viewport at the passing stars, the vastness of interstellar space only served to sour her mood further.

She kept thinking about what she had done to the batarian pirate responsible for the polonium-coated hammerhead round buried in Xiùlán's left thigh… her lover curled on the deck in a near fetal position… the nearly invisible bastard wearing Griff's shield generator, standing over Xiùlán with heavy pistol still in hand, gloating at the helpless female writhing in agony on the cold steel deck aboard a batarian-run space station.

She had launched herself at the center of mass in the middle of the shimmering distortion, knocking him onto his back, thumbs gouging out a pair of eyes as she repeatedly bashed his head against the metal floor. Once she had Xiùlán and Griff safe in a nearby supply compartment, she had gone back out to deal with the threat this batarian now posed to the three of them.

In her mind, she could easily justify killing him, as had been necessary when she'd killed a dozen or more of his kind later while attempting to get a rescue shuttle on its way to pluck them off the station. What she was now having trouble with was the memories of _how_ she had taken his life… this one pirate's death. It had been nearly ten minutes, dying by her hands… six minutes of downright torment with a bullet shattered left thigh; the coup de grâce had been an omni-blade up into his lungs and diaphragm, leading to a painfully slow death by suffocation.

She did not feel the tears that seeped from her eyes to coalesce into a pair of rivulets running down her cheeks, nor did she hear ship's XO Traeria Shoni enter and take a seat in the recliner next to her. "You appear to be rather upset, Ms Traynor," Shoni quietly observed. "Is there anything you would care to share with me?"

Traynor roughly wiped her face with both hands as she turned away from the perceptive asari. "Just… thinking about my actions on that space station." She added with a sniffle, "I lost track of the number of batarians I had to kill to retrieve the artifact and get us off that station."

"Yet _that_ is not what truly bothers you, is it?"

Sam replied, "You are quite observant, Traeria," before lapsing into silence.

The asari could see that she would need to prompt the human a bit more if she wished to hear the entire truth of the matter. "Talk to me, Ms Traynor. I am entirely ready to listen to whatever you have to say." At a quick, unhappy glance from the human, she quickly added, "I will not judge you, and your words will not leave this compartment… I swear it by the Goddess."

Traynor drew a long, shuddering breath as she thought about what to say. After a pause marked only by the whisper of airflow from the HVAC and the muted noise of distant equipment, Traynor cleared her throat and whispered, "The batarian I told you of… the one that shot Xiùlán? I had to kill 'im, and I did it in the most pain-filled, torturous way I could think of."

The asari nodded her head as Traynor started speaking, then cocked it slightly to one side as she opened one silver and copper-flecked eye wide in a questioning look. "Go on, Samantha. What did you do?"

Speaking slowly, as if recalling a nightmare, she replied in a voice filled with pain. "After hanging 'im by his wrists from a ceiling hook – which is what they'd done to Buchanan – I toyed with 'im, Traeria… kicked 'im in 'is crotch, once… then again… hard as I was able. His attitude was…" she looked down at herself as she brought trembling hands up to cover her breasts, "… he kept staring at my chest, even went so far as to say I might _enjoy_ being the recipient of his mating urge."

"He suggested he'd like to have intercourse with you?"

"Yeah… putting it bluntly, he said he wanted to fuck me, to…"

Traynor went silent again as a fresh bout of tears began trickling down her cheeks; she pulled her lower legs into the chair and wrapped her arms around them as she rested her head on her upraised knees. Without any prompting from Shoni, Sam tilted her head to look at the asari and asked, "Are you familiar with the human term for forced intercourse?"

"I don't believe so," came the quiet reply.

"I don't know what the batarian word is, but on my world that word is _rape_. It's virtually always done by males to females, for many reasons, most of which do not have _anything_ to do with 'having sex'. It's mostly done as a way to proclaim domination, or control, or punishment." Traynor sighed as she wiped her face. "I was raped when I was in college, back on Earth… I won't go into the details, except to say I will never allow it to happen to me again. And that batarian? His attitude really pissed me off!"

Traeria didn't say anything… simply waited for Traynor to continue.

"Before I shot him in the left thigh as payback for what he did to Xiùlán… I _scared_ the living 'ell outa myself… saw a darker side of me I _never_ would have believed _existed_." Traynor's face twisted with disgust as she continued, "I wanted to… I _felt_ a _need… _to use my blades… to slice him into tiny pieces for what he did to Xiùlán. I went so far as to drag the point of one of my knives across his chest and down to his side… leaving a blood trail in its wake. I had the point pressed hard against his side, Traeria! I had every _intention_ of opening 'im up on _both_ sides and making soup of his organs. I was poised and ready… it would have been _so_ easy, to press my blade just a bit harder. All I needed was that one… final… push."

The distraught woman abruptly stood, paced back and forth in front of the massive viewport for a few moments before stopping to stand with feet apart, forehead against the spotless clear panel. "But I couldn't bring myself to do it! I could not become that merciless killer, Traeria." Sammy paused to rein in her emotions. "I don't want to become an assassin with no conscience… such that I'll stop at nothing to make a point or gain revenge. As it was, I caused him even more pain when I shoved an omni-blade up into his chest." Traynor turned her head to look at the asari over her shoulder. "I came so _close_, Traeria… so _damn_ close to simply _torturing_ him to death! What kind of person _am_ I that I can harbor such thoughts?" Traynor shuddered at the memories, still raw after being rescued by commandos from the _Ionsaí._

"I haven't told Xiùlán. She needs to be further along her own path to being healed. I need to hold her when I tell her of the method I _almost_ chose to end the life of the person that shot her in the leg." Traynor gulped and swallowed. "And I'm afraid to tell her, Traeria… I'm afraid she'll think me a monster and won't… she won't wish to be with me… any longer." Voice hitching in sorrow, she cried, "I don't know how she'll be able to forgive me… 'cause I don't think I can ever forgive _myself!_"

Traeria rose from her chair to stand behind Sammy. With hands on the distraught woman's shoulders, the asari spoke softly in her ear. "But you did not take that path, did you? You pulled yourself from the edge and refused to let evil take control of you. _That_ person – the one who does not wish to do evil – _is_ who you are… and is the person Xiùlán is in love with. Perhaps, since in the end you made the correct choice and did not torture this batarian who did such harm to your loved one, you are being too hard on yourself. Looking back, if everything could again be as it was, would you make the same decision once more… travel down that same path?"

"I could not torture someone to death, Traeria." Samantha surprised XO Shoni by turning to face her; tears running down her cheeks, she coughed and stammered out, "I'll confess my actions to Xiùlán… beg her to forgive my near total lack of control in that moment. She may not completely understand this aspect of my mind, but I do not believe she will abandon me… abandon what we have together." Taking a shuddering breath, she wiped her face and thanked the asari before asking to be escorted back to her quarters.

Sam had calmed down considerably by the time Traeria stopped outside Traynor's quarters. Sam opened the hatch, then turned and threw her arms around the asari, hugging her tightly.

Initially taken aback by Traynor's actions, Traeria brought her own arms up and embraced the human, returning the hug. "I do not know what I did to deserve such from you, Specialist, but _thank you_."

Traynor, chin on Traeria's shoulder, pulled back slightly and kissed a blue cheek. "No, thank _you_… for caring, Traeria. It means more to me than I can say." With that, Traynor released the asari and walked slowly into her compartment, leaving Traeria in the passageway, disbelieving about what had just happened, even as she touched her cheek in wonder.

* * *

**A/N:** _If you'd like to see the inspiration for the choreography of Traynor's fight with the batarian dock workers, go to:_ www . youtube watch?v = MoMpau _ B2Io _(delete all the spaces when you enter the address). The video shows _River Tam's_ bar fight in the movie _Serenity_._


	27. Thessian Rhapsody

_When she lowers her eyes she seems to hold all the beauty in the world between her eyelids; when she raises them I see only myself in her gaze. – _Natalie Clifford Barney

* * *

_**Húdié dāo –**_ Butterfly Sword: [traditional Chinese: 蝴蝶雙刀; pinyin: húdié shuāngdāo] - a short dao, or single-edged sword, usually wielded in pairs. Generally called 'butterfly knives' in English (not to be confused with the folding balisong, or fan knife, also commonly called a butterfly knife.)  
**_Inamorata_**_ – _A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_Wǒ ài nǐ –_** Hanyu Pinyin (Mandarin) for _I love you_ [我愛你]

* * *

*** ASARI CORVETTE ****_IONSAÍ_**** · EN ROUTE TO THESSIA ***

Doctor Jakira T'Lana smiled as she turned off the dermal generator and repositioned the application head towards the ceiling. "I don't think you'll even have a scar to show for your time on that station, Serviceman Traynor. Not much more than a scratch, really – not deep in the tissue. It would appear the Goddess was smiling upon you."

There was a touch of sadness behind Sam's smile as she replied, "It was little enough to endure compared to Xiùlán's suffering. I would have traded places with her in a heartbeat if it had been possible."

"I believe your friend will recover just fine, Serviceman. Your first aid was exemplary… made all the difference in her survival _and_ in our ability to save her from an amputation." The doctor's hand came up, gently gripped Sam's jaw and turned her head slightly as she inspected the skin on her cheek. "Physical scars are relatively easy to fix… mental scars, not so much. XO Shoni tells me you're carrying a great deal of guilt about what happened to Ms Yuán."

Traynor closed her eyes for a moment before focusing on those of Dr T'Lana. "I nearly turned into a soulless assassin… it's something I need to reconcile with Xiùlán, when she's better… when I can hold her as I tell her. I just hope she'll forgive me." Traynor looked away for several moments, then changed the subject, asking, "The scar on Buchanan's face… it appears to be greatly diminished. Will you be able to completely eliminate it?"

"No… the knife wound was completely healed, meaning the skin on either side had stretched slightly to accommodate the scar tissue. I can make the scar less noticeable, maybe even to the point it will be difficult to see unless the lighting is just right, but the trace will always be with him, I'm afraid."

Traynor chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think he'll be bothered by that." Standing from the exam chair, Traynor said, "Thanks, Doctor T'Lana. I appreciate you taking the time."

"You're welcome, Serviceman Traynor. Go with the Goddess."

* * *

*** PRESIDIUM · ASARI COUNCILOR'S CHAMBERS · 0255 LOCAL ***

Councilor Raesia Tevos had been sleeping quite soundly, which made her more than a bit aggravated at the sudden activation of the comms unit; an incoming call lit up the monitor as the low volume trilling from the device gradually became louder.

Sitting up in her bed, she quickly pulled on and fastened a dressing gown before standing and moving to the small desk on which the device was sitting. Applying her index finger to the DNA scanner to unlock the terminal, she made an effort to school her expression while attempting to put a name to the face looking back at her from the screen. "This is Councilor Tevos. What may I do for you at this early hour?" – The implication in her statement that _whatever_ it was, it could have waited a few more hours.

"_Councilor, I'm Agana T'Lori, captain of the __**Ionsaí**__, the corvette assigned as the support vessel for three human operatives. Please accept my sincere apologies for disturbing your rest in the middle of the night; as I am unable to guarantee the security of this connection, I can only speak in generalities. We are currently en route to Thessia to deliver an object only recently recovered from a person or persons unknown. My orders were to inform you of this as soon as I could do so without drawing undue attention."_

Understanding dawned on Tevos at the mention of the three; if the _Ionsaí_ was heading to the home world with a recovered object, the mission had been mostly successful. As Tevos considered the numerous possibilities, she could only hope it had not come at too high a price and hesitantly questioned, "What of the three operatives, Captain T'Lori? Are they well?"

T'Lori did not answer immediately, perhaps attempting to formulate words that would convey the serious nature of injuries to the team. _"All live, though two were injured, one seriously so."_

Tevos sat back in her chair, thoughts racing through her mind. _'It would seem the human operatives had succeeded in their mission where no one else could. The 'object', undoubtedly the figurine stolen by the batarian pirate and sold to the Blue Suns, was on its way to Thessia. That the humans were being taken there as well spoke to how severely the one must have been injured – standard procedure would have been to meet with and transfer the injured party to an Alliance vessel for treatment.'_ "Just how serious is this injury, that you would take them to Serrice rather than immediately return them all to the Alliance, Captain?"

_"Extremely, Councilor."_ Agana's expression was grave as she continued, _"I realize we provided the humans with numerous medical capability upgrades as part of our initial negotiations when we accepted them as Council allies, but our hospital facilities simply remain light-years ahead of theirs. If we return the operative to the Alliance, they will most likely take the leg off and attempt to fit an artificial limb; their operative could very will end up a cripple. We, however, are capable of saving the real leg... and I strongly believe we owe them that outcome for the tremendous service they provided to the Asari people."_

Tevos smiled at the vehemence with which the captain spoke. "This human has earned your respect, yes?"

_"That obvious, is it?"_ Agana chuckled quietly before continuing, _"Yes, Councilor; they all have. They are warriors as worthy of the designation Huntress Infiltrator as any I have ever seen, even without considering their lack of biotic ability."_

Tevos' brow rose in surprise. "That is high praise, indeed, Captain." She didn't need to think about the decision, issuing her response without pause. "Proceed with your plan and feel free to invoke my authority to guarantee the human operative receives the necessary treatments, as well as ensuring the others are made comfortable for the duration of their stay. Thank you for the information and please... update me once you arrive on the home world and everything is successfully placed into motion, Agana." She smiled and nodded as she terminated the connection, rose from her chair and walked to the balcony.

Tevos thought about what Captain T'Lori had told her as she looked out on the fountains and lake below her. Whoever had purchased the figurine from the Suns was out a considerable amount of credits, and if the payment had _not_ gone through, the Blue Suns were on the losing end. It mattered little to Tevos which of the criminals ended up on the losing side of the transaction – as it should be, the priceless figurine was on its way home.

She removed her dressing gown as she walked back across the room, distractedly laying it on the foot of the bed as she contemplated her next move. Realizing her mind was moving much too quickly to return to sleep, Tevos let out a resigned sigh and turned toward the bath. '_May as well shower, dress and start my day. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep with such news, would only serve to make me irritable and short-tempered. Dalis should not be forced to abide such all day… me being a bit tired is preferable to subjecting her to such ill-temperament.'_

* * *

*** ATHENA NEBULA · PARNITHA SYSTEM · THESSIA ***

The Oseros class corvette _Ionsaí_ slipped into her assigned docking bay on the outskirts of Serrice, having completed a four-relay trip from the Nemean Abyss, through Sahrabarik, Imir and Widow to Parnitha. The seven-hour trip from the Parnitha System relay to Thessia had taken nearly as much time as the relay jumps from the Abyss.

As port workers secured the numerous thruster-packs at dock level by clipping deflectors over the nozzles, a hover-litter was guided from the smaller of the two cargo bays and carefully floated over the darkened area; the commandos accompanying the litter guided it into a large shuttle painted in the pale blue and yellow of a Serrice Hospital vehicle.

Anyone watching what was apparently a routine arrival of the largest warship allowed to land on the planet might have been puzzled at the appearance of two people, obviously human, from the starboard 'over wing' airlock. The male and female, escorted closely by a pair of asari commandos, were led to a small aircar, bearing the same colors as the large shuttle; as soon as they were in the car and the hatches sealed, it rose from the deck, turned and slowly departed the area, following the large shuttle carrying Yuán Xiùlán in the hover-litter.

During the short flight to the hospital, _Ionsaí_ XO Traeria Shoni acted as a tour guide, pointing out various points of interest, including the university with its vast grounds and the grand building where the Matriarchal Forum held meetings to discuss affairs of state. It was only a matter of minutes before the car was circling for a landing, setting down within fifteen meters of its larger mate, from which the accompanying commandos were already removing the hover-litter containing Xiùlán's still form.

A pair of asari, dressed in crisp, light blue uniforms, came running out to the hover-litter; after speaking with the commandos for a few moments, these orderlies took over, moving the litter into the hospital building at a rapid pace.

Samantha Traynor and Griffen Buchanan, having exited the smaller vehicle along with Traeria Shoni, walked up to the commandos just as the orderlies left with Xiùlán's litter. Sam looked at Traeria as she asked, "Can we go in with her?" As Traeria started to decline her request, Traynor simply said, "I need to be with her, Traeria. She needs to know she hasn't been abandoned in a strange place. Please?"

The asari studied Traynor's eyes for only a moment before answering, "Come on… you too, Buchanan. I'll clear it with the Matriarch in charge; have her find both of you a place to stay."

Traynor responded as they began walking. "Thank you, Traeria.

* * *

*** ASARI CORVETTE ****_IONSAÍ_**** · CONFERENCE ROOM ***

Luenia Phura passed a hand through the haptic interface, triggering a chiming announcement within the lesser of the _Ionsaí's_ two conference chambers; she stood aside for the antiquities minister as the door latches immediately unlocked, allowing the hatch to part in the middle and retract into either side of the opening. Captain Agana T'Lori stood from her chair at the far end of the table inside, bidding her guest a warm welcome. "Matriarch Elesia… please, come in." Motioning towards a chair to the right side of her own, she asked, "Would you care for some refreshments?"

The minister swept gracefully into the room, her travel cloak fanning out behind her like a protective cloud. "I would not say 'no' to a small amount of _Elasa_, should you have such on board." T'Lori immediately moved to a side table, where she opened a small bottle and poured each of them a generous measure of the pale green liquid as Elesia removed her cloak; laying it over the back of another chair, she asked, "Now then, Captain. What is so important that I had to meet you here at the moorage, rather than in my office?"

Agana smiled as she gently set the heavy crystal goblet containing the matriarch's drink on the table. Taking a sip of the sharp beverage, T'Lori set her own glass down and retook her seat. "I assume you are familiar with the search for a small figurine from the Age of Exploration?"

Elesia paused, her arm and hand holding her glass poised midway between table and lips. Resuming her movement, the minister took a sip of Elasa, then set the glass down as her eyes searched those of T'Lori. "You must be referring to the carving that was recovered, then lost by the turian Septivus Vulpez. What do you know of this?"

The captain reached down beside her chair, on the opposite side of the matriarch's chair; standing again, she brought a cylindrical case up and set it on the table in front of her. "We had the honor of hosting three humans working for the Systems Alliance; one is currently in the hospital with a serious injury incurred during the recovery of…." releasing two fasteners and removing the upper two-thirds of the case to reveal the carved figurine of Janiri, T'Lori finished with, "…this. The _Ionsaí_ was the support vessel for these humans as they tracked the artifact's movements; they just recovered it from a shipping container on Cartagena Station."

Elesia's eyes went wide with surprise. "They found it!… Recovered it!" A statement, not a question. "I had almost given up all hope of ever seeing…" Reaching out a hand, she touched the bottom of the container rather than place her bare fingers on the carved wood. "To have this artifact here, intact, sitting on the table…" Elesia covered her mouth with a hand to get her emotions under control. "You said the humans are here? In Serrice?"

T'Lori carefully replaced and latched the cover to its base as she replied, "Yes… two females and a male. One of the females is in the hospital awaiting surgery to repair a horribly injured left leg. The other female, Samantha Traynor, is the reason all three were successfully extracted."

Carefully sliding the figurine over to sit in front of the matriarch, she said, "The _Ionsaí_ will soon depart Thessia, so I am officially transferring possession of this antiquity into your custody and care, Minister Elesia." Returning to her seat, T'Lori added, "There are few among our people aware of this recovery, Minister; not even the Matriarchal Forum has yet been informed of our good fortune. You may wish to contact Councilor Tevos on the Citadel when you return to your office, as she was instrumental in choosing to allow the humans to work on our behalf." Taking the last sip from her glass, T'Lori concluded with, "When you are ready to leave, I will provide an escort to ensure your safe return to your shuttle."

* * *

*** PRESIDIUM · ASARI COUNCILOR'S CHAMBERS · 1455 LOCAL ***

Raesia Tevos continued to work at her desk as she waited with increasing impatience for the secure call from Thessia – she was hoping to speak with one of the three team members that had recovered an invaluable piece of asari history. When the unit in the adjacent room trilled, Tevos rose from her chair and walked briskly into the communications room; stepping up to the control console, she entered several commands in the haptic interface and waited.

Within several seconds, an image began to appear from seemingly random specks of light. With the time-lagged distortion of distance, her voice flanged up and down, similar to that of a turian. _"Councilor Tevos. It is a pleasure to be able to speak with you today."_

Responding with a nod of her head, Tevos replied, "Matriarch Elesia? What may I do for the Minister of Antiquities today?"

_"__I just returned from visiting Captain Agana T'Lori onboard the __Ionsaí__ – she presented me with an item recovered from the Nemean Abyss. While I do not question the positive results of the recovery, I find the methods employed to be a bit unorthodox. Involving humans in asari affairs, Councilor?"_

"They came highly recommended by the human ambassador here on the Citadel, Minister. At the time we decided to employ them, it seemed to be our best and only option. Have you met with the humans?"

_"__I will be visiting them at Serrice Hospital shortly – I expect to hear firsthand how they were able to track down and recover the object after our own efforts failed."_

Tevos did not respond to the implied criticism, other than to say, "Asari commandos don't generally have the skills needed to clandestinely hack into computer networks; both human females possess the required skills, and both are skilled warriors." Changing the subject, she asked, "Has the Matriarchal Forum been informed?"

_"__They have not, nor will they be until my department can confirm the authenticity of this figure." _Elesia slowly moved her head from side to side._ "I expect the tests will confirm that what we possess __is__ actually genuine; I just want to be sure before I inform the matriarchs."_

"Makes sense, Minister. No reason to get everyone's hopes up only to later tell them the figurine is a disappointing forgery."

_"__I have to attend a staff meeting, Councilor… You may wish to contact the human ambassador… inform her of the success of the mission. I am sure she will be pleased with the results. Once we have our confirmation and can set a date, perhaps she would like to be here on Thessia when we introduce the humans to the matriarchs."_

"That sounds like a fine idea… I'll contact her right away. I appreciate your call, Minister."

_"It has been a pleasure to speak with you, Tevos. Go with the Goddess." _

* * *

*** PRESIDIUM · HUMAN EMBASSY, AMBASSADOR'S OFFICE · 1520 LOCAL ***

Ambassador Anita Goyle was looking through a few colonization reports when the secure communication console beside her trilled for an incoming call. _'Probably that fool Udina wanting to know when he'll be appointed as the new human councilor… as if!'_ Anita sighed as she entered her personal code and password, then waved her hand through the 'accept' control; she was pleasantly surprised to see the image of asari Councilor Raesia Tevos. "Councilor Tevos! It's been too long… To what do I owe the pleasure?"

_"__Anita! I just wanted to thank you for all your assistance in recovering a thousand year old example of asari wood-carving skills!"_ Tevos was positively beaming. _"Your team found it, Anita! The figurine's been recovered… it's back home on Thessia, along with the three agents, who are currently our esteemed guests."_

Tevos grew silent as she looked down for a moment. Returning her gaze to the camera, she continued, _"I owe you an apology, Anita. When you offered to assign two newly graduated agents to this task, I admit I was skeptical they would be able to obtain positive results."_

"No apology is necessary, my friend. Your skepticism was completely justified… had our positions been reversed, I am sure I would have questioned their assignment myself. Should I arrange for their transportation home? I imagine there are very few humans on Thessia, if any at all."

Tevos looked down again before returning her gaze to the ambassador. _"Unfortunately, a female named Yuán was injured during the operation…"_ holding up a hand to forestall Goyle's interruption, Tevos continued solemnly, _"… the severity of which I do not know. However, if Captain T'Lori felt it necessary to transport all three of your operatives to Thessia, then I would imagine the injuries she sustained to be severe enough to preclude meeting an Alliance vessel to effect a transfer."_

"When do you anticipate a mission report will be ready, Councilor? I would really appreciate having a copy, and I would especially like to know the extent of Yuán's injuries."

_"__I should have that information when the next diplomatic courier arrives from Thessia… two days from today. As soon as I have the report, I will be happy to share that which pertains to the operation just concluded, along with the medical reports on all three agents." _Tevos paused for a moment before continuing. "_The artifact is being confirmed as authentic by our Minister of Antiquities. Once that has been completed to her satisfaction, she will present the figurine to the Matriarchal Forum, accompanied by your agents responsible for its recovery. She mentioned that, perhaps, you would like to be present for the unveiling?"_

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, actually. I would love to see Thessia, even just a small portion, _and_ have a chance to sample some more Thessian cuisine." Goyle sighed audibly before concluding, "If there is anything I can do… _anything_… either personally or on behalf of the Systems Alliance, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll contact the Marine General in charge of the group; fill her in on what I know of the mission results at this moment. Thank you for contacting me, Raesia."

_"__It was my pleasure, Anita. Please convey my gratitude to the General for assigning two 'newly-minted' agents to tracking down and recovering a priceless artifact for the Asari Republic. The entire operation proved to be a stunning success."_

* * *

*** THESSIA · SERRIS HOSPITAL ***

Samantha Traynor's asari escort opened the door to what everyone expected to be Xiùlán's room for the next two months. Seeing her _inamorata_ turn towards her and smile lifted Sam's spirits immeasurably. "Hey…" Sam squeaked out. "How are you feeling?

"Better, now that _you_ are here. My dear Sà mǐ… I was afraid the asari would attempt to keep me isolated."

"Not gonna happen." Traynor grabbed one of Xiùlán's hands. "Griff's with me as well – we have temporary rooms downstairs. With all the new construction going on, available housing is at a premium, even for their own people; my understanding is we're being accorded special treatment because of that figurine. XO Shoni did not say, but I'm guessing the success of our mission has garnered a great deal of interest among the Matriarchs… Captain T'Lori even contacted Councilor Tevos on the Citadel."

Xiùlán asked, "So, what's going to happen now? Are they going to reconstruct my leg?"

Stroking the back of the hand she was holding, Sam replied, "That's the plan. Normally, you'd be transferred to an Alliance facility, but the asari seem to think they can provide you with better care here in Serrice." Traynor glanced at Xiùlán's elevated left leg as she asked, "How's the pain? You managing okay?"

"Medicine's keeping most of the pain at bay… certainly a lot less than it was on that station." Xiùlán fixed her lover with a hard stare as a single tear overflowed her right eye and trickled down her cheek. Lapsing into Mandarin, she said, "Xièxiè nǐ jiùle wǒ de mìng, sà mǐ." [謝謝你救了我的命，薩米 - _Thank you for saving my life, Sami]_ With her emotions barely in check, she added, "Thank you as well for getting me out of that shit-hole. I don't know if I can ever repay you, Sà mǐ, but you need to know that until I _can_, my life belongs to you."

"Nonsense, Xiùlán. Seems to me our situations were reversed during our mission in the Dis system… had to deal with batarian pirates there as well… bastards mutilated and killed our tank driver… _You_ got me out of that Hellhole none-too-soon… Saved _my_ life. I'd say we're even… and who's counting, anyway?"

Xiùlán's smile was so radiant Sam thought another sun had come out. "How can it be that I was so blessed to run into you our first day on Luna? Look how far you've come since then." Xiùlán reached up, stroking an upper arm that was nearly rock-hard with corded muscles. "I need to see Buchanan… need to hear from _him_ how you cleaned out a hanger filled with batarians hell-bent on killing us."

Traynor's facial expression was in direct conflict with her next statement. "He'll sing my praises to the sky! If _I_ tell you what I did, then you hear it from him? The reality would be somewhere in the middle. But yeah, I impressed him… impressed a bunch of batarians as well."

Xiùlán had been Sammy's lover long enough to be able to read her quite well, so immediately knew she was holding something back… something that troubled her… something just beneath the surface, and it involved the batarians. "Sammy, you know I love you, right?"

Traynor was instantly on guard – sometimes, Xiùlán was much too perceptive – it appeared to Sam that _this_ was one of those times. "I do… and I love you, Yuán Xiùlán."

"You're keeping something from me, Sammy… I can see it. It's eating at you like the larvae of an Asian spider wasp eats at its host."

Traynor hung her head as tears began seeping from her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you until you were up and around, Xiùlán. I'm afraid… afraid of what you'll think of me."

For once, Xiùlán didn't know what to say, but tried anyway. "Sammy, how could you be…? I would _never_ judge you, Sammy. If you think back, we've been down this path before, during our first few months of training… I told you then not to presume what my feelings were concerning you." Retaking her hand, Xiùlán continued, "Now, you sit there and tell me what's bothering you."

Sam started slowly, relating how she had strung up the batarian that had shot Yuán in the thigh, how she had begun to torture him. "He wanted to fuck me… told me to let 'im rest for a few minutes so he could use me. I just…" Sammy's expression flashed on the misery of that moment. "… for a moment I was back in college on Earth, trapped in a gym locker room." Sniffling, she went on, "I was gonna use my blades, Xiùlán. Thought about cutting his nuts off and feeding 'em to 'im. I had it all planned out in my mind to open 'im up on both sides and make soup of his organs with my _Húdié dāo_… I had the point of one of them pressed hard against his side… was gonna make 'im suffer more than any of his kind had ever suffered."

Xiùlán held her gaze, refusing to look away even for a second. "I can see it in your expression, Sammy. You couldn't do it, could you? What changed your mind, Ai?" [愛 – _Love_ (Xiùlán's meaning is 'luv')]

"_You_ did, my love… or rather, your sense of morality. You didn't teach me to be a butcher. But I didn't give him a mercy shot either… I used an omni-blade, straight up in 'is gut, so 'e died of suffocation. I had to end 'im, Xiùlán, you see that, don't you? He knew where we were holed up, would have directed others to find us." Traynor was openly weeping now – voice hitching, she cried, "I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to be with me again."

Xiùlán drew Sammy towards her until she could wrap her arms around her in a loving embrace. "Sammy, you did what had to be done to keep me… and Buchanan… alive, until we could get off that miserable station. It was necessary, okay? There's nothing to forgive. You make me so proud, I could burst."

Bent over her _Inamorata_ and barely able to believe that Xiùlán was not unhappy with how she'd dealt with her assailant, Sam carefully wrapped her arms around her and kissed her in a fervent display of the depth of her feelings for this beautiful Chinese woman; best of all, Xiùlán returned the kiss with just as much passion, assuring Sammy that she was still loved and cherished.

Her emotions barely in check, Sam whispered in Yuan's ear, "Xièxiè. Nǐ shǐ wǒ de shēngmìng biàn de wánzhěng." [謝謝.你使我的生命變得完整 –_Thank you. You make my life complete_]

* * *

After her surgery, Yuán Xiùlán was sleeping soundly, dreaming she was safe in her own bed, in her parent's home in the city of Shanghai. She felt an occasional twinge, a little pinprick of pain, in various places of her left thigh, but never enough to truly disturb her slumbers. She smiled inwardly as a hand grasped one of hers and gave a gentle squeeze. There was someone in her room with her. Odd, that. She had never had anyone visit her in her bedroom, particularly when she was asleep. '_Perhaps it is time to wake up. No. Sleep is the answer.'_ Xiùlán murmured a complaint… "Qǐng líkāi. [請離開 - _please leave_]

The hand holding hers shifted its grip… it was now positioned to softly stroke the back of her hand, wrist-to-knuckles and back, over and over. Uhmmmm. Felt good, unlike the twinges and pinpricks of pain in her thigh, which seemed to be growing in number and intensity.

Slanted eyelids parted slightly, just enough to make out a blurry face… squinting, she was able to make out a pair of eyes, brown like hers, but different… honey brown instead of her own sable brown. '_Sà mǐ? Oh Ancestors!' _"Sà mǐ! You're here…"

"Ssshhh, darling. Of course I'm here. Don't try to talk… don't try to sit up. You're just out of surgery to fix your leg." Traynor placed a little kiss on Xiùlán's forehead. "You've been out for about eleven hours, and if your level of pain rises, the monitor will increase your sedatives to put you under again."

Xiùlán closed her eyes against the bright lights, but could sense they were being dimmed, so slid them open again to look at Sammy. "How…?

"Ssshhh. You're doing fine, darling. Doctor Shakia will be here in a few minutes… she seemed to be pleased with the results of your surgery."

The hand holding Xiùlán's continued its gentle massage, bringing a tiny smile to her lips. "Hhhmm… Gǎnjué hěn hǎom, Sà mǐ." [感覺很好 - _Feels good, Sammy._] The gentle touch relaxed her as perhaps nothing else could, helping her to return to sleep… to dream she was being held by Sammy in their bed on Arcturus Station.

Sammy continued to gently massage the back of Xiùlán's hand for several minutes after it was obvious she was sleeping… the smile on her lips indicative of a pleasant dream.

"Ms Traynor?" The soft voice behind her interrupted her thoughts; turning around, she quickly recognized Doctor Luria Shakia. "My apologies. I did not mean to intrude. Your presence is obviously of great benefit for Ms Yuán… she seems to be totally at peace."

"Doctor Shakia." Quickly glancing back at Xiùlán, she returned her gaze to the doctor's eyes as she replied, "She woke up for a minute, just long enough to realize I'm here with her."

"Have you eaten?… or slept since you arrived?" Samantha's embarrassed expression was all the confirmation Dr Shakia needed. "It is as I thought. Come, you must remain healthy… for her sake. There's a lounge just down the hall. I'll have a meal brought up for you; you can eat and then sleep for a bit. Your friend's condition is being continuously monitored… I will ensure you are alerted the instant she begins to rouse from her slumbers."

Traynor looked longingly at Xiùlán, total relaxation showing on her face, tiny smile on her lips. She placed a gentle kiss on those lips, whispering, "_Wǒ ài nǐ_, Xiùlán." Returning her attention to the doctor, she acquiesced, saying with a smile, "Okay, Doctor. Lead the way."

* * *

It had been four days since the surgery on Yuán Xiùlán's leg had been completed by a team of the finest orthopedic doctors in all of Thessia; her left thighbone, with the exception of the 'head' and lower extremity, had been replaced with a specially designed shaft of titanium strands reinforced with carbon fibers; the surgeons had fused the shaft to the head and lower extremity, ensuring the new addition to her leg would in all ways be as good as or better than the bone it was replacing. The part of the operation that proved to be most tedious involved reattaching all the muscles and tendons to the new 'bone'. They had also discovered and extracted another fragment of the bullet that had originally shattered her leg; the last bit of polonium coated metal that was still making her sick.

Xiùlán could raise the top third of her bed about twenty degrees, making it easier to visit with Sammy; her leg was in a cast from hip-to-foot, bent slightly at the knee and resting on a specially formed block. Buchanan, virtually healed from his torture on Cartagena Station, had been visiting as well.

On the morning of the fifth day, Dr Shakia had gently knocked on the door and entered Xiùlán's room. Saying, "Good morning, Ms Yuán. How did you sleep?" she activated her omnitool and began scanning the length of Xiùlán's thigh.

"Not well," came the reply. "I'm not used to sleeping alone, and not being able to sleep on my side with…" Xiùlán paused, a hint of color creeping up her neck. She continued as Sammy picked that moment to come in for her morning visit. "… on my side with Sammy snuggled up beside me."

It was Sammy's turn to blush as Xiùlán completed her sentence – Dr Shakia split her attention between Sammy and Xiùlán. "So you two are in a relationship. Why should that embarrass either of you?" Having completed her scan, the doctor transferred the data to the hospital's servers, then shut her omnitool off and waited expectantly.

Traynor spoke up first. "I've been in love with this woman since the first day we met. We trained together, on Earth's moon, on Mars, couple of missions to areas not totally under Alliance control. I would do anything for her."

Xiùlán blinked and nodded her head as she attempted to swallow past the lump that had suddenly seized her throat. It didn't help that Sammy moved to stand beside her, leaned in and gently kissed her cheek.

Dr Shakia smiled at the pair as she observed, "Just like a pair of young maidens." She continued to smile as she brought out a datapad, thumbed it on and read from its screen. "It seems you have gained favor with the Asari Minister of Antiquities. Matriarch Elesia will be here…" she checked the datapad's built-in chrono, "… in seventeen minutes. It doesn't say why – _that_ is something you will discover when she arrives."

Placing the datapad back in a pocket on her lab coat, she looked at Xiùlán and said, "Ms Yuán, your leg appears to be healing well. Another two days, maybe three… I'm going to have you get out of that bed, hand you a pair of crutches and send you to bring me a cup of _Kaffe_." Upon seeing the shocked expressions of both Yuán and Traynor, she chuckled and finished with, "Okay. Maybe we'll just see if you can take a few steps across the room and back."

* * *

Sammy and Xiùlán had been joined by Buchanan and were chatting about their adventure in the Abyss when a knock at the door interrupted them… Dr Shakia entered the room, followed by an asari matriarch, elegant looking in a nearly floor-length gown in a deep shade of shimmery purple, over which she had a floor-length cape fastened at her neck.

Griff and Sammy quickly stood as Dr Shakia introduced each of them with a wave of her outstretched hand, saying, "Operations Chief Griffen Buchanan, Service Chief Yuán Xiùlán and Serviceman First Class Samantha Traynor." Indicating the matriarch with her opposite hand, she said, "This is Matriarch Elesia T'Keeri, Minister of Antiquities. She has traveled here from Armali to share some news with you."

Dr Shakia turned and left as the matriarch approached Traynor, who raised both hands waist high, palms up, in the traditional asari greeting; the corners of Elesia's mouth turned up slightly as she gently laid her own hands palms down on Traynor's. "My pleasure," came the whispered acknowledgment.

She next approached Buchanan, who had seen Traynor's use of her hands, so presented his in the same manner. "A pleasure to meet you, Operations Chief."

Finally, she approached Yuán, who was only able to present Elesia with one hand, as her offside arm still had tubes inserted in her veins. Elesia took Xiùlán's hand in both of hers and spoke softly, "It is my pleasure to meet you, Yuán Xiùlán. I am so very sorry your work on behalf of the asari brought you so much pain." Dropping her hands, she turned partway to face Griff and added, "That goes for you as well, Operations Chief. I am given to understand the batarians poked and prodded you rather unmercifully."

Griff smiled as he replied, "Nothing I haven't come to expect from them, Ma'am."

Xiùlán cocked her head slightly as she asked, "What brings you here today, Minister?"

Elesia actually chuckled at this. "Humans… So impatient, always right to the point." Reaching up to her throat, she undid a clasp, removed her heavy cloak and folding it over the back of one of the chairs. Traynor noticed Griff had the decency (or the common sense, at least) to look at the floor rather than stare at the voluptuous figure revealed by the rather clingy fabric of her gown. "I wanted to personally thank the three of you for your service on behalf of the Asari Republic. The figurine you retrieved from Cartagena Station has been authenticated as the genuine article."

Xiùlán asked, "Just how old _is_ that carving, Minister?"

"We've established it was carved from a single piece of Bolan wood between 2800 to 3100 years ago, as the turian Septivus Vulpez surmised. Bolan trees are thought to be extinct; none have been seen in over a thousand years." Pausing to look at the notes on a datapad, she continued with, "The scientific team feels that it was most likely in the possession of Matriarch Dilinaga during a major portion of her travels."

Traynor huffed a little sigh of relief. At Elesia's questioning look, she said in a low voice, "I'm happy it has been proved to be authentic, Minister. The shipping manifests I found in the warehouse listed two identical pieces, one each in two different crates. I checked each crate and found only the one carving. I was afraid the genuine article had been substituted with a forgery."

Elesia chuckled as she responded, "I can assure you, the piece you recovered _is_ the genuine article, Ms Traynor. Would you be so kind as to share with me how you managed to track down and recover this artifact when it appeared no one else could?"

Yuán and Buchanan agreed to let Traynor begin the tale, with the pair adding details to the main story when necessary. When a suddenly modest Traynor began telling of her final fight with the batarian dock workers, Griff took over, sparing no detail concerning the amazing way she had left fifteen or sixteen batarian dock workers dead, dying or unconscious on the floor of the warehouse, all with only her hands, feet and blades, all within the space of about two minutes. Even Xiùlán expressed a bit of surprise, as she had been unable to witness Sammy's amazing performance.

The minister looked at Traynor, respect for her abilities plain in her expression. "It sounds as if you were trained by the best asari infiltrator class commandos."

Traynor shyly looked at her lover. "Xiùlán trained me, almost from the time we met at the Alliance base on Earth's moon. I owe her all the credit for my martial arts skills."

Yuán grinned as she added, "Probably a good thing she didn't have her nángùn…" Elesia's puzzled look at the untranslatable term prompted Xiùlán to add, "…that's a polished, two-meter long wooden staff." Looking at her lover with a rueful expression, she added, "Sammy has even taught _me_ lessons with her staff!"

Traynor blushed at Yuán's revelation. "Yeah, well, _many_ were the times she taught me lessons…" holding up and displaying the backs of her hands for emphasis, "… painful lessons!… with _her_ nángùn during our sparring sessions," then added, "I instructed her in electronics intrusion skills while she was teaching me self-defense tactics. We make a good team."

Elesia was impressed. "It would appear the Alliance Ambassador did the asari an immense favor by recommending the three of you for this undertaking. Before you depart Thessia, it would be my honor to sponsor you as my guests at the Armali Palace Art Gallery so you can see and understand the importance of the piece you have risked life... and limb... to recover for us."

Traynor looked at Griff and Xiùlán before moving to stand in front of the minister. With a small bow, she said, "It would be _our_ honor to attend as your guests, Minister Elesia. Thank you."

* * *

_**A/N:** My thanks to everyone reading; a very special thanks to my friend and co-author **Desert Sunrise**, who always manages to see the flaws I've built into my narratives **before** they're published._


	28. Calm Before The Storm

_What a grand thing it is to be loved! What a far grander thing it is to love! The heart becomes heroic, by dint of passion. – _Victor Hugo_, Les Misérables_

* * *

**_Inamorata _**– A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_Seaside Sunrise_** – Mango liqueur, Mandarin liqueur, and Strawberry and Lime Cider

* * *

*** THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

It had been twenty-eight days since Xiùlán's surgery to repair the damage to her left thigh; according to asari Doctor Shakia, she was making excellent progress towards a full recovery. Her hip-to-ankle cast had been removed in favor of a changeable brace, allowing an asari therapist to assist Xiùlán's healing through gentle, biotic enhanced massage of her thigh muscles, along with deep, directed biotic stimulation of the carbon fiber reinforced titanium replacement at the top and bottom, where it had been fused to the remaining head and lower extremity of the shattered bone.

Xiùlán had undergone the first of what was to be several skin graft procedures to repair the external damages with extremely small strips of skin taken from her buttocks; these were placed in a 'grow' solution to make them larger, after which Dr Shakia had patched the wounds to eliminate as much scar tissue as possible.

She was in a semi-sitting position in her bed, eating dinner with Sammy and Griff. All of Buchanan's wounds had completely healed – even the scar on his face seemed to be nearly gone. As the three humans conversed over their meals, Griff said to Traynor, "I really love their hospitality, Sam, but I am bored stiff! I need to be out doing… stuff, ya know?"

Traynor had a difficult time keeping the smirk from crawling onto her face. "Have you toured this city, Griff? It's an architectural marvel, both in design and materials. In addition, it is virtually impossible to tell the old sections from those built more recently. I think you should have one of our escorts take you on a sight-seeing tour." Buchanan began to protest until Traynor pointed out part of sight-seeing involved sampling the local cuisine. "You'll be doing a fair bit of walking. Work up an appetite, have a nice lunch, or dinner. Just don't be surprised at all the attention you receive. Most asari have never encountered humans before, particularly a male, and certainly not a giant."

Buchanan grinned at that. "Giant, you say? I don't know – walking around this place, I've seen a few commandos nearly as tall as I am."

Traynor's smirk was solidly in place as she responded, "I don't think commandos are shaped like you, Griff. Huge shoulders, massive torso… you definitely fit the definition of a giant, at least to them."

Buchanan thought about the idea for a few moments before brightening visibly as he looked at Traynor. "Come with me, Sammy. I don't want to be the only human in a city full of alien blue women. I'd be glad for the company."

Xiùlán weighed in with her own opinion. "Go with him, Sà mǐ. It'll do you good to get out of here for a bit, stretch your legs, sample the food. You never know when you'll travel this way again. Take the opportunity while you can… I'd certainly go if I could walk more than a few steps without falling on my face."

The reminder of why Xiùlán was in this hospital brought an expression of sadness to Sammy's face. "Are you sure? I feel like I'd be abandoning you."

"Nonsense. I'll be right here when you return," she replied. "I have physical therapy in the morning and after lunch, so we won't get to visit much anyway. You can tell me about your adventures tomorrow night. Go! Have some fun!"

Traynor hung her head as she tried to think of a way to gracefully decline. She didn't want to hurt Buchanan's feelings by refusing to accompany him, so returned her gaze to them both and reluctantly agreed.

* * *

*** THESSIA • CITY of SERRICE ***

Maracela T'Rhyn bowed deeply as she was introduced to Buchanan and Traynor in the hospital lobby. "It will be my pleasure to be your guide today… Serrice is a beautiful city. That said, do you have any preferences as to what you would care to see today?"

Buchanan simply said, "We will be happy to follow your lead, Ms T'Rhyn."

Maracela's amusement came through as a musical titter. "Please, Sir, you may simply call me 'Mara'.

Buchanan grinned in reply. "I'm Griff." Indicating Traynor, he added, "This here is Sam."

"Then let us be off, Griff… Sam. I have an aircar waiting outside… Please follow me.

Traynor smiled at their guide and said, "If it would be possible, I'd like a chance to inspect our shuttlecraft. It was flown off the _Ionsaí_ before the ship departed…" So saying, she angled her arm and quickly sent the parking location from her own omni-tool to Marcela's.

The asari's eyes went wide at the sight of Sam's activated device. "Is that a Serrice Council model?" she asked with a touch of awe. When told it was a _Savant model X_, Mara replied, "Please accept my apologies for being so curious, but it seems you possess an extraordinarily advanced version, Sam! If I may?…" Sam held her arm up so Mara could take a closer look. As a blue hand carefully gripped her forearm just above her wrist, Mara inspected the device closely, admiring the thin, elaborately designed platinum bracelet and the small cabochon of bio-sensitive, red-banded onyx used for activation, before concluding, "Extraordinary… and quite rare. I have never seen one glow in the near ultraviolet before. And the bracelet?… It is keyed to your DNA, is it not?"

Sam assured her it was, to which the asari responded, "So, it would be dangerous for anyone else to attempt to use it?"

"Anyone wearing it while attempting to activate it would almost instantly lose their hand," Sam responded. "When this was given to me, I was instructed not to remove it for any reason, even bathing. I've been wearing it so long I don't give it much thought until I have to use it."

The awe in Maracela's expression changed to one of surprise. "You say this was _given_ to you? By the Alliance or Serrice Council?"

"Serrice Council, my first week in training," Traynor answered. "Their representative, Mallene Calis, gave this to me; Xiùlán received one as well."

"By the Goddess, Samantha. Each of you has been granted a singular honor. Serrice Council omni-tools are of the highest quality of _any_ manufacturer, anywhere! They are a scarce… and exceedingly expensive, commodity. Few asari, aside from those employed by the major houses on Thessia, can afford such a luxury."

Sam looked at her bracelet with a hint of new respect. "So, I'm wearing a small fortune on my wrist, then? Something of no use to anyone else because of its personalization?"

Reaching their conveyance, Mara nodded as she opened the doors. "It is a paradox, to possess something of such value that is essentially worthless to everybody else."

Thinking about Griff's bulk, Sam motioned for him to take the other front seat as she climbed in the back. Their guide was telling them their first stop after they checked out the shuttle would be a walking tour through the campus of the University of Serrice, followed by a light lunch at an asari/human restaurant.

The trip to the shuttle lasted less than five minutes; upon arrival, Traynor jumped out of the aircar as soon as Maracela brought it to a halt. Saying, "I'll only be a few minutes, Griff," she jogged over to the UT-47, entered an access code at the port-side hatch and stood back as the sections parted to allow access to the interior. This was the first time Sam had been able to see their shuttle since her frantic departure from the Ionsaí, when she'd accompanied Xiùlán on board the asari shuttle to Serrice Hospital; she couldn't even remember cleaning out their quarters before leaving.

Once inside, she closely inspected the numerous terminals and data storage devices, along with the large cabinet full of supplies of all kinds. Neatly stored in her personal locker were her butterfly knives in their boot sheathes, her exercise clothes, laundered and carefully folded, the nángùn with her sparring gloves and her sniper rifle and heavy pistol, along with her ceramic armor plates, compression shirt, pants and boots. She wasn't surprised that everything was placed as she remembered it – the asari on the _Ionsaí_ had virtually bent over backwards to accommodate Xiùlán and Sammy. While inspecting the contents of Xiùlán's locker, she uncovered the bloodied left side thigh plate; it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears at the sight of her lover's dried blood all over the underside of the ceramic plate. Xiùlán's compression pants, with the left leg sliced open from ankle to hip, were also neatly folded on top of the rest of her armor; it was if the crewman – Traynor would almost have bet it had been Luenia Phura – knew Traynor would need to get this item and the cuisse replaced or repaired once back in Alliance space. Heaving a huge sigh, she relocked everything, stepped out into the warm, early summer sunshine and inspected the outside of the shuttle after locking the access hatches.

Seeing nothing amiss, she returned to her seat in the waiting aircar – within minutes, they were flying towards Serrice University, to spend a pleasant ninety minutes walking the campus and learning about the school's unique architecture.

* * *

*** CITADEL • PRESIDIUM, DAEDOARDO'S SAPPHIRE ***

Ambassador Anita Goyle walked into the reception lobby of Daedoardo's Sapphire to find Councilor Raesia Tevos seated in a comfortable looking chair off to the side. At Goyle's approach, Tevos rose to greet her with hands out, waist high and palms up. Anita smiled at the elegantly dressed councilor as she gently laid her own hands on those offered in greeting. "Raesia… It's a pleasure to meet with you again. But where is Nizia… surely, she must be close by."

The ambassador started slightly as a cool voice spoke from just behind her: "My mistress never travels the Presidium alone, Ms Goyle." The human turned around to find Huntress Tenir standing less than a meter away; she smiled as she raised her own hands in greeting. After Nizia responded in kind, Goyle half turned as Tevos moved past her. "Our table awaits us, Anita. Shall we?"

A human hostess approached them; having already greeted the two asari, she offered a warm greeting to Anita Goyle, then turned to escort them to their table. As before, Nizia stationed herself at the entrance to the short hallway leading into the small chamber where Tevos and Goyle would be eating dinner. Once seated, the pair ordered drinks – a glass of Elasa for Tevos, a _Seaside Sunrise_ for Anita.

While they waited, Tevos updated Anita on Yuán Xiùlán's progress in healing from the horrendous injury to her leg. "She's undergoing physical therapy to regain her strength and mobility. Doctor Shakia informs me Yuán is making excellent progress towards a full recovery… The doctor mentioned the pre-existing musculature in Yuán's leg would make her recovery period shorter and less painful than if she had not been so fit."

Nizia alerted her mistress to an interruption by calling quietly down the passageway. Their hostess set their drinks on the table as she quietly apologized for the intrusion. After taking their dinner orders, she quietly left the pair to enjoy their liquid refreshments and continue their conversation. Anita asked how much longer Doctor Shakia expected Yuán would need to stay in the hospital.

Tevos laughed lightly as she took a sip of Elasa and asked, "The Alliance Navy getting nervous that maybe we kidnapped one of their people?"

"Not at all!" Goyle saw the mischievousness dancing in Raesia's bright silver eyes the instant the words were out of her mouth. "No, the… general in charge of the program is just… concerned… about Yuán and Traynor being seen for what they are."

"I don't believe that should be cause for concern, Anita. Yuán will need a minimum of two more weeks, possibly three, of close observation in the hospital, followed by another eight to ten weeks of physical therapy. Samantha Traynor and Operations Chief Buchanan are pretty much confined to the hospital. They _are_ going to be given a brief, escorted tour of the city just to keep them from going… Goddess, how did Buchanan put it? I believe the term is _stir crazy_, no? Anyway, their escort has been provided by the Minister of Antiquities herself, in order to keep the general populace from learning too much about what they do for a living."

Anita thought about this for a few moments, during which time the hostess and an assistant brought their food in, set the covered plates in front of them and set refills for their drinks. After collecting the empty glasses, they quietly left. Once the pair had sampled their meals, Anita paused over her salad to ask, "Since there's only one person being treated for injuries, would it be possible for the Alliance to send a transport to retrieve Samantha Traynor and Operations Chief Buchanan?"

Tevos finished chewing her bite of bread and swallowed before answering: "That can certainly be arranged, Anita. We can shuttle them to a ship in orbit whenever needed… but, it may be best to leave Traynor on Thessia for a bit longer."

Anita sipped her drink before replying. "There is a need for Serviceman Traynor… elsewhere, Councilor. What would be the sense of leaving a highly trained operative on Thessia?"

"Traynor has shown herself to be an important part of Yuán's recovery, Madam Ambassador… the two are nearly inseparable. I believe it would be in Yuán's best interest to have Traynor stay with her, at least until Yuán is out of the hospital." Tevos had a few more bites of salad before continuing, "As for your Operations Chief, it might be wise for the asari to provide him with transport from Thessia to the Citadel – we'd use our own diplomatic shuttle – as it makes the trip three times a week, its presence would not be remarked upon. Buchanan is a Systems Alliance Operative, the Serrice spaceport is a rather public place; you have not voiced your concern, but I am guessing you would like to keep the existence of three special operations humans on our home world a secret from the general population there."

Slightly embarrassed that Tevos could read her so well, Goyle nodded in agreement, then added, "That would be appreciated, Raesia. Additionally, I find I must pass along a request from the general in charge of the SpecOps division." When Tevos did not answer, Goyle went on, suddenly nervous at having to ask a favor from this asari. "A request has been made that our people _not_ be present for the unveiling of the figurine to the Matriarchal Council… in fact, the request is that their names and race not be revealed at _any_ time during the proceedings."

Tevos nodded her head slowly as she studied the human across the table from her. "I cannot say I am surprised, Anita… I understand the need to keep their identities secret, if for no other reason than their personal safety. Their actions cost the Blue Suns a small fortune." Tevos swirled the Elasa in its glass and took a sip, her bright silver eyes clouded in thought. Returning the glass to the table, she smiled at the human sitting across from her as she added, "You will be in Armali as humanity's representative when Matriarch Elesia reveals the recovery of the figurine… you can speak of the recovery in as much… or as little… detail as you wish."

"Thank you, Raesia. As I see it, the main thing for the asari people to be celebrating is the _recovery_ of a lost piece of their history, not _how_ it was recovered or by whom." The ambassador finished her drink, setting the glass down as she continued, "That the Blue Suns will offer a bounty for the capture of those responsible for the theft…" at this point Goyle chuckled, bringing an answering smile to Tevos' face, "…will be the unfortunate result of our clandestine interference into their affairs."

Tevos replied, "I _had_ considered that result as part of a successful outcome to this endeavor… I will express our concerns to Matriarch Elesia; she can certainly arrange for her meeting with the Matriarchal Forum to be a private affair. The Blue Suns will learn of the figurine's location soon enough, by which time it will be too late for them to retrieve it by any means."

"Thank you, Councilor," Goyle replied. "I'll inform the general of our agreement."

* * *

*** THESSIA • CITY of SERRICE ***

Traynor and Buchanan had eaten lunch in a delightful, out-of-the-way café near the edge of the university campus – its menu was designed to attract students without a lot of spare time between noontime classes. There were a number of asari having lunch when the two humans arrived with their escort, Maracela T'Rhyn; what had been a fairly noisy atmosphere quickly changed to relative quiet, as everyone paused in mid-conversation to look at the strange sight of humans entering to have a meal.

Mara led them to an empty table just a few paces from the door, where the pair could enjoy the outside view through the large windows. Looking around at the now quiet asari, most of whom, if the surreptitious glances in their direction were any indication, seemed to be talking about the humans caused Samantha to observe, "Seems we're the center of attention wherever we go, Griff… I'm sure that's not a good thing. I don't expect anyone here bears us any ill will, but I feel much as I did when I was in Shanghai visiting Xiùlán's parents." Despite seeming to be the center of attention, they both enjoyed their food and drink; Griff in particular enjoyed his meal, eating as if it was going to be his last.

As they were leaving, Mara apologized to the owner of the café for causing a disruption of her lunchtime routine, to which the owner replied, "No apologies needed… It is good for these maidens to be exposed to more than their own friends. The humans are more than welcome to come in again."

Mara next led them down a street lined with small shops, most all catering to the college crowd. Traynor had spent a bit of time thinking about what she would like to buy for her lover while they were sight-seeing, and had decided on some kind of decorative bracelet… hopefully something that would complement the shark's tooth necklace she'd given Xiùlán as a Chinese New Year's present the previous year.

She was strolling slowly alongside a group of shops, idly gazing in the windows at the items for sale when she saw it – a bracelet, or cuff, made to resemble a stylized set of jaw bones, wide open and set with triangular teeth along the inner edges of the 'jaws' facing each other – when worn on the wrist, the curved lower jaw would be closest to the hand, while the curved upper jaw rode in a fixed position above. As the 'jaws' were cast as a single piece, there was no actual hinge where they met on either side. The golden 'teeth' were inset into the jaws. A fascinated Traynor asked Mara if she could enter the shop, to which she received an enthusiastic _yes_.

The owner of the shop came forward to greet Traynor, who ingratiated herself to the asari by presenting her hands in the traditional waist high, palms up greeting; eyes wide, the surprised asari laid her hands gently on Traynor's, introducing herself as Farnia T'Rhyn.

"It is my pleasure to meet you. I am Samantha Traynor…" Indicating her companions, she added, "… this is Griffen Buchanan, and our guide, Maracela T'Rhyn." As she said the name of their guide, Traynor took another look at the shop owner. "T'Rhyn? Are you…" looking over her shoulder at Mara, "… related to Mara?"

The asari, after nodding a greeting to Buchanan, returned her attention to Sam. "You are most observant, Ms Traynor. Maracela is my older sister." After returning Mara's smile with one of her own, she returned her attention to the human female standing before her and asked, "What brings two humans into _T'Rhyn's Jewelry_ this fine afternoon?

"The gold and silver cuff in the display… the one that resembles a set of toothed jaws… may I see it?"

"But of course, Ms Traynor. Just let me…" Farnia moved to the display area and looked into the case. Spotting the bracelet that had caught Traynor's attention, she pulled on a thin, cloth glove and picked the piece up. As she turned and brought it over to Sam, she explained, "This bracelet is actually made from gold and platinum, Ms Traynor. It's a representation of the maw of a prehistoric Galea, a fish that swims in Thessia's oceans to this day; fossil remains with jaws 275 to 290 Cm from side to side are not uncommon."

Sam tried the bracelet on her offhand wrist, checking the fit and look of it. "It's beautiful, Ms T'Rhyn. I'm almost afraid to ask… what is the price for this piece?"

Sam's mouth fell open in surprise at the answer. "I wasn't expecting it to be so much! That's a significant portion of my yearly compensation from the…" Samantha bit her tongue to keep from revealing too much, changing her statement to end with, "… my job!"

Sam carefully handed the bracelet back to Farnia. "I'm afraid I will have to find something else for a gift… thank you for allowing me to try it on."

"Of course, Ms Traynor," Farnia replied as she returned it to the display mount in the front window. "Is there anything else I may show you today?"

Sam looked at the many fine pieces of jewelry in the cases, but nothing she looked at said _'Xiùlán' _to her as had that bracelet.

"I'm afraid not, Ms T'Rhyn. There are many beautiful things in here; unfortunately, none speak to me as did the bracelet. I appreciate your time." Turning to their escort, Traynor said, "Let's be off, Mara. Perhaps I'll yet find a present for Xiùlán today."

* * *

*** SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

Despite the coolness of the corridor, Xiùlán was covered in sweat, the result of her efforts to walk – with the aid of a walking frame – down a passageway outside her room. One of her usual companions for her increasingly lengthy forays was Sammy, but she was out sightseeing with Buchanan and their escort Maracela T'Rhyn. Her only companion on this afternoon jaunt was Corrina Sidhu, the therapist assigned to help with the healing of Xiùlán's leg.

Besides accompanying Xiùlán during her slow – exceedingly slow, to hear Xiùlán complain about it – walks up and down the passage, Corrina exercised the human's leg by holding her foot and slowly bending her leg at the knee until her calf muscles were touching the back of her thigh. It had actually taken a bit of time for her to succeed at moving the lower leg that far; when first she started, Xiùlán had cried from the pain it brought to her knee.

Many were the times she had been ready to allow the doctors to amputate her leg at the hip – the Alliance would still allow her to serve with an artificial leg, and she wouldn't have to endure any more pain, or so she thought when she was truly depressed. Sammy had been her support the entire time, talking to her, encouraging her, holding her as she wept in perceived shame at her weakness. That Yuán had come as far as she had was testament to Traynor's unflagging love and care.

As Corrina assisted Yuán to sit on one of the benches at the far end of the corridor, the human thought once again about how out of place she seemed to be here, in this hospital, in a city on a planet populated by a race of mono-gendered people that outwardly resembled human females with blue skin. She had mentioned this to Doctor Shakia once, and had received a rather detailed explanation concerning the hospital and its staff. "This is a teaching hospital, Service Chief… it is no accident the university is so close. Having a human for a patient is a way for us to discover our differences, as well as our similarities. All the knowledge we gain by treating and rehabilitating you will ultimately be useful to all the doctors here."

Yuán wasn't so sure, but did not argue the point at the time.

* * *

*** SYSTEMS ALLIANCE NAVAL YARD, VANCOUVER, BC, NORTH AMERICA ***

Marine General RaeLee Park stared at the image on the monitor in front of her; there was disbelief in her voice as she responded, "Dammit Counselor! I need to get those two back into action, sooner rather than later. Does that asari doctor really believe Traynor is an essential part of Yuán's recovery?"

Anita Goyle could see the unhappiness in Park's face. _"General, those two women may as well be physically joined at the hip. They've each been injured… severely… on clandestine missions for the Alliance. I believe Serviceman Traynor is performing a job for the Alliance… she's keeping Yuán focused on healing, on moving forward."_

Goyle referred to a datapad she was holding. _"Councilor Tevos has offered to fly Ops Chief Buchanan to the Citadel on their diplomatic shuttle whenever we say the word."_

Park wanted to know, "How long until they're ready to discharge Service Chief Yuán?"

_"__Yuán will be in hospital for another two or three weeks; once she's in a rehab center, the doctor feels Traynor could take on short missions,"_ came the response. _"Of course, having a week or so between missions on Thessia would help us get Yuán back on her feet sooner."_

Park sighed. Traynor and Yuán were two of the most gifted operatives she'd ever had the privilege of working with. "Seems like amputating that leg and giving her a prosthesis would have gotten her back to work sooner. I really do need them out there working, Counselor." She was sorry for the words the instant she said them, but couldn't take them back.

Goyle tried another tack_. "General, look at it this way… The asari are bearing the entire cost of Yuán's surgeries, which are considerable, and her rehabilitation, also a large sum… When she's back on her feet, __both__ of them will be hers." _Goyle paused for a moment to carefully choose her words. "_Now, I realize the Alliance would have borne that cost if she had been sent to a facility on Earth, but an Alliance doctor would have simply taken her leg off and given her a crutch… admin would have provided a monthly disability stipend, quite possibly putting an end to a very promising career."_

"Dammit, Counselor, you're as much as accusing us… accusing me… of treating our people with callous indifference!" Park was unhappy to have Goyle making her the bad guy. "That is simply not the case! I care about my people… every damned one of them, and those two in particular, but there's a shit-storm brewing out in the Attican Traverse, and I could really make use of their skills." Park squeezed her temples between a thumb and fingers of one hand before continuing. "Three weeks, Anita… until Xiùlán has been moved into rehab. I need Traynor, at the very least, to start working on this new threat. When she hears what it is, I'll probably have trouble prying her away from it."

_"__I'll be traveling to Thessia myself in a few weeks,"_ offered the councilor. _"I'll be accompanying Minister of Antiquities __Matriarch Elesia__ to a meeting of the Matriarchal Forum; she'll be revealing the recovery of the figurine, and Councilor Tevos felt it would be good for me to be there… answer any questions they may have."_

"You're not going to?…" Park started to ask.

_"… __Traynor and Yuán will not be attending, nor will their identities be made known. The matriarchs are trustworthy, for the most part, but I have heard rumors about one or two of them, so I intend to shield our agents from their scrutiny. They do not need to know how the artifact was recovered, nor by whom."_

Park heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that, at least. Personally, I would love for the asari to pin medals on their chests… those three did more to move asari-human relations forward than all the Alliance brass and diplomats combined since the conclusion of the First Contact War… er, no offence, Anita."

_"__None taken, General. I only wish Xiùlán hadn't had to pay such a price for our decision to help them."_

Park pointed out, "She still has her life, Ambassador." Park looked down for a number of seconds before continuing in a soft voice. "What I have in mind for them may be just as dangerous; the possible payoff will not be nearly as tangible."

_"__General Park, I am aware your program will be ending in the not too distant future. Personally, I hope that Traynor and Yuán can return to their career paths when that happens,"_ Goyle said. _"Xiùlán was training to eventually become captain of a warship; Samantha towards a computer programming and communications position with Alliance HQ in Arcturus."_

"I'm well aware of their interrupted career pathways, Ambassador. Don't worry about it for now… just pray that the mess I'm getting ready to toss them into isn't so deep we don't get them back whole, physically, or… mentally." After a brief pause, Park continued, "I have to go, Ambassador. Keep me updated on Yuán's condition, please. Good day to you."

The ambassador's image faded and disappeared from the viewscreen as Park terminated the connection. Thinking about all that had just been said, she pulled up a mission background and scrolled through it. There it was – Cerberus – bigger than hell. Park had no doubt that Yuán and Traynor… Samantha in particular, would be interested in _this_ mission, after losing a friend to a pair of Cerberus murderers in 2180.

* * *

*** THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

It was nearly sunset; having returned from her afternoon exercises soaked with sweat, Xiùlán was looking forward to Sammy's tender touch with a warm cloth and scented body wash – the anticipation was really the only thing that had kept her going all afternoon. Traynor removed all her clothes except her sleeveless undershirt and panties and helped Xiùlán into the shower area, where she began giving her lover a standing sponge bath. As usual, Sammy didn't disappoint; after washing and towel-drying her hair, she began to lovingly wash every square centimeter of Xiùlán's skin.

It had not been _that_ long since their last evening together on the _Ionsaí_ – nevertheless, Sammy's cloth, lingering languidly on her breasts and accompanied by little kisses, alternating between eager pink lips and just as eager pink nipples, nearly sent Xiùlán over the edge as she stood with all her weight on her right leg, shoulders and butt hard against the cool tiles of the shower stall. She moaned as Sam slid the cloth in small circles down and across rock-hard abdominals, moving inexorably towards the small triangle of midnight-black hair; Xiùlán whimpered aloud when Sammy abruptly lifted her cloth in order to grip her upper arms and gently turn her to face the tiled wall.

"Oh gods, Sammy," she hissed through teeth clenched to keep from crying out. "That is just too cruel. You've never been such a tease! What has happened to you?"

Sammy _had_ been dressed in only her sleeveless shirt and panties; it was a matter of seconds until Xiùlán felt a bare arm snake up between her and the wall as a warm pair of breasts, freed from the constraints of a shirt, were gently molded against her shoulder blades. The hand attached to the exploring arm deftly reversed course, sliding back down along slick skin until reaching its goal – the patch of black forest guarding Xiùlán's tight valley of pleasure, as another arm entered from the opposite direction to tease and torment breasts, stretched taut by Xiùlán gripping a safety bar just over her head.

Hot puffs of breath from nostrils tickled as a pair of warm lips grasped an earlobe to gently pull, release, then pull again. A whispered, "I love you, Xiùlán," was accompanied by a bared pelvis moving in a careful grinding motion ever so delicately against her ass.

"Wǒ ài nǐ, Sà mǐ!" [我愛你薩曼莎, 薩米 – I love you, Sami!] Even if she had wished it, Xiùlán was totally powerless to halt the building crescendo in her core as Sammy's talented fingers softly massaged and teased her hooded lady, until a dam seemingly burst, flooding over Sam's fingers and hand to cascade down the inside of Yuán's thighs. Sam was ready as Xiùlán's right knee finally gave up the struggle to bear her weight, deftly easing her _Inamorata_ around and down onto the built-in bench beside them, being careful to keep her left leg as straight as possible.

Xiùlán sat panting on the cool tiles for a few moments before placing a kiss in the middle of the neatly trimmed bush in front of her face. Reaching around to caress a muscular pair of buns with her hands, she alternately kneaded and massaged while looking up at Sammy in delight, saying, "You missed my legs, darling, but…" now raising her elbows without releasing Sammy's tantalizing ass, "… I'm all sweaty again. Guess you'll need to start over."

Sammy giggled. "This time I'll start at your feet and work my way up. I need a wash as well now… wouldn't think giving _you_ a sponge bath would get me all sweaty. Do you suppose we should ask one of the nurses to wash you? Might be more efficient."

"Don't you dare! I've been looking forward to _this_ bath all afternoon. Now, help me up so we can start again…"

After a second wash and rinse with a pair of dampened cloths, Sammy carefully toweled Xiùlán dry with many a kiss applied to various locations. Traynor finally helped her slip into her panties and matching tank top before assisting her into the freshly made bed; Sam took a quick shower and was just finishing up getting dressed when a knock at the door preceded Doctor Shakia poking her head in to ask if anyone was hungry. When assured by Xiùlán they both were famished, she came all the way into the room, a quizzical look instantly on her face. "You look happier than I've seen you since you arrived, Ms Yuán. Anything happen you care to share with me?"

Xiùlán darted a glance at Sammy before turning sable brown eyes back to the asari. "Oh, something happened, but I'm not at liberty to share any details. I _can_ tell you Sammy was assisting in a different aspect of my physical therapy."

Doctor Shakia looked at Sam, also smiling, nearly… glowing, before returning her gaze to Xiùlán. "Why do I get the feeling that whatever you were doing didn't involve healing your thigh?"

Xiùlán nearly burst out laughing at Sammy – the tiny contortions she was doing in order to keep a straight face were highly entertaining.

"I was… uh, massaging her… back… her shoulders and upper arms," Sammy stammered. "Terribly stiff, after… umm… having to support her weight on that miserable walker." Thinking, _'Bloody 'ell! I need a better story!'_, she sat in the chair near the foot of the bed as Doctor Shakia moved to stand beside Xiùlán, using her omni-tool to scan her patient's leg.

"It would appear you are healing faster than I anticipated. We should be able to discharge you into the care of our rehabilitation center in 10 to 14 days."

"That will be a good thing, Doctor… The sooner I can walk on my own again, the sooner I can get back to work." Glancing at Sammy, Xiùlán could see she was not so thrilled at the news; after Doctor Shakia left to bring their dinners, she asked for an explanation.

"General Park wants us back on the job, Xiùlán. I received a message while you were finishing your therapy session this afternoon." Rising from her chair, Traynor came up to Xiùlán's bed; taking her hands in both of hers, she continued, "As soon as you're in rehab, I'll be leaving for short missions in the Terminus Systems. Griff will be leaving as well, probably before I do, and we'll probably have to work together. You and I will be speaking with Ambassador Goyle in a few days… She says the General hinted at something that would be especially interesting for me."

Yuán thought this over for a few minutes before responding. "Sà mǐ, whatever General Park has in mind for you will in all probability involve me at some point. Once I'm out of rehab here on Thessia, I expect to be cleared for light duty. Whether or not that would enable me to go on active missions with you remains to be seen, but I don't intend to be left behind. Whatever you're doing for those eight weeks or so, I want you to talk to me… keep me informed of what's happening."

Traynor moved to stand beside her lover. "How could I _not_ share with you, my darling." Taking one of Xiùlán's hands, she continued, "Don't you realize, I would never attempt to hide anything from you? I'm not the least bit thrilled that General Park plans on sending me back out there without you, even if they're to be short missions… with or without Griff."

The last words were hardly out of her mouth as the door opened to admit Dr Shakia; she pulled a small, contragrav cart bearing their dinners into the room with her, causing all talk about work to come to a sudden halt.

During their sumptuous meal, Xiùlán and Sammy exchanged knowing looks that promised their discussion was far from over.

* * *

*** HORSEHEAD NEBULA • ANADIUS, CRONOS STATION ***

A shadowed hand stubbed a cigarette out in the ashtray on the end of the chair arm as its occupant sat, one leg crossed over the other; an incoming call announcement trilled as the man swirled the ice around in the glass before downing the rest of the drink. Rising from the chair, he handed the empty glass to the young woman approaching from the right as he turned to walk a few paces, where he stopped on a circular black pad a meter and a half in diameter.

Using his omnitool, he answered the incoming call; it was from an undercover agent on the Citadel – more accurately, from within the Presidium. Without preamble, the figure said in a cold, hard voice, "Report."


	29. Storm Clouds on the Horizon

_Adventure is something that happens to someone else. When it's happening to you, it's only trouble. – _Gerald Morris, _The Ballad of Sir Dinadan_

* * *

**_Eschatology_**_ – __A belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind  
_**_Inamorata _**_– __A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)_

* * *

*** HORSEHEAD NEBULA • ANADIUS, CRONOS STATION ***

_ "__We may have a problem, Sir,"_ the agent immediately replied._ There's an Alliance admiral here… a Rear Admiral Kahoku. He's sticking his nose into places it doesn't belong."_

"What has this admiral done to get your attention, Agent Trace?"

_"__He's asking a lot of questions about some strange activities in Artemis Tau and… about Armistan Banes."_

"If he's still asking questions, then he hasn't discovered anything of value… so far." Pausing long enough to light a cigarette, he inhaled the fragrant smoke and blew it out to hang around him like wispy clouds that quickly dispersed from view. "Monitor him for now… _discreetly_, and keep me advised. I expect all his inquiries will fall on deaf ears, but if he somehow stumbles onto what we're doing, well…" he left the thought unfinished as he took another drag from his cigarette. "That will be all for now, Agent Trace."

With the connection severed, the man made his way back to the chair, placed to have an excellent view of the dying red supergiant Anadius. As he sat down and crossed one leg over the other, he held up his free hand to receive the whiskey over ice being brought out by the same young woman that had appeared before. He swirled the liquid around just a bit before taking a sip of the golden elixir; smiling grimly, the Illusive Man continued to sip as he thought about Admiral Kahoku. The man had fought the batarians with distinction during the Skyllian Blitz; if he could not be dissuaded from continuing his current line of inquiry… It would be a damned shame to have to engineer a fatal accident to prevent him from learning too much, too soon.

* * *

**_* THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL *_**

It had been twelve days since Doctor Shakia had predicted Xiùlán would be discharged from the hospital and transferred to the rehabilitation center. It had taken a lot of hard, at times painful work during her final twelve days in the hospital, but she was now walking with the aid of a cane; the doctor expected she would be able to _occasionally_ walk without the cane after five weeks – though she certainly wouldn't be able to run just yet – and that she'd be healed enough to walk unaided at the end of her eight week stay in rehab.

She had said a tearful goodbye to Service Chief Buchanan four days prior; he had wrapped his arms around her in a near bone-crushing hug, telling her he was going to miss her terribly, and was looking forward to working with her again… soon. For her part, Xiùlán had asked how she was ever going to find him, since she could no longer mention a knife scar on his face as a distinguishing mark; he had laughed at that, saying his size would nearly always stand out in most people's minds.

Samantha Traynor had walked with him to meet the diplomatic shuttlecraft from the Citadel, in part to see him off, but also to greet and escort human Ambassador Anita Goyle back to the hospital; there she would have a brief meeting with Xiùlán and Sammy, after which she'd travel to Armali to attend a meeting of the Matriarchal Forum with Minister of Antiquities Matriarch Elesia.

The ambassador had returned from that meeting the previous day, in enough time to go on a short sight-seeing tour around Serrice Hospital accompanied by Traynor and Maracela T'Rhyn; Goyle had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sights, sampling the local cuisine and shopping for souvenirs.

It was just Xiùlán and Sammy with Goyle at breakfast; assured by Sammy that there was no electronic eavesdropping within the small executive dining room, Anita broke the news to both as they all enjoyed a mug of freshly brewed _Kaffe_.

"There's an organization, mostly confined to the Attican Traverse, but also branching into the Terminus Systems, and…" here she paused for emphasis, "… Earth Alliance Space, mostly in the areas contested by the batarians." Looking at Traynor, she added, "You have already been peripherally involved with two of their agents, Ms Traynor… a Darius Holden and a Marianna Walsh, correct?"

Traynor's face erupted in a scowl of loathing at the mention of Heather Gonzales' murderers, prompting a one-word response, spoken as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth: "Cerberus!"

"Precisely, Ms Traynor… Cerberus." Goyle drained her mug of _Kaffe_ and set it down.

Samantha was lost in thought as Xiùlán asked, "What are they doing now that has the attention of the Alliance, Ms Goyle? Surely they cannot be that much of a threat."

"Your General Park would be a better person to answer that question Ms Yuán, as she has given me few details of all that is _currently_ happening; their stated goal is to make sure humanity is at the top of the galactic food chain, and to hell with the other races. There have been a number of suspicious deaths attributed to Cerberus, all human and all in positions of great power, great influence or both."

Anita looked back at Traynor as she continued, "The hypothesis is that they were responsible for the assassinations of President Enrique Aguilar and Chinese People's Federation Premier Ying Xiong in 2176, and those are only the most recent deaths alleged to have been done on their behalf."

Sammy studied the ambassador closely before saying, "So, when do we leave for the Citadel, Madam Ambassador? General Park _must_ have something in mind for me."

"Indeed she does, Ms Traynor," Anita answered with a grim smile. "Indeed she does…"

* * *

Anita Goyle had stopped by Xiùlán's new room in the rehabilitation center to find Samantha Traynor, sitting across a table from Xiùlán, with whom it appeared she was having a quiet discussion; they both looked up together when Goyle entered the room, with Sammy being the first to speak. "Ambassador? We thought you were on your way back to the Citadel."

"I'll be leaving shortly; I delayed my departure in order to be here for the presentation," Goyle responded.

The expressions of puzzlement that appeared on their faces were immediately followed by both asking in unison, "Presentation? What presentation?"

The door behind the ambassador opened again, this time to reveal Minister of Antiquities Matriarch Elesia, accompanied by Maracela T'Rhyn. "Good morning to the three of you!" she said. "I just had to come down from Armali before Ambassador Goyle boards the diplomatic shuttle for the trip back to the Citadel! I have a gift… a thank you present, for each of you." Before anyone could respond, she turned to Maracela, who handed her a flat object wrapped in plain paper. "First, for you, Ms Goyle. This is a certificate of appreciation for your assistance in facilitating the recovery and return of a priceless artifact from the not so distant past. You have proven beyond a doubt that humans can be counted on to do extraordinary things, for no other reason than it's the right thing to do." Handing the package to Anita, the asari added, "Thank you, Ambassador, on behalf of the Matriarchal Forum and the Asari Republics."

Goyle bowed slightly as she took the package. "We can never succeed in life unless we're willing to help those in need, Matriarch. I am pleased our assistance was successful."

Turning back towards Maracela, the matriarch was handed one rather large package, magnificently wrapped in gold and silver foil; Maracela, holding another package of similar size and appearance, stepped forward to stand beside Elesia, who directed her attention to both young women. "Service Chief Yuán… Serviceman Traynor… It is my distinct honor to present these to each of you." Elesia handed her package to Xiùlán, while Mara handed hers to Sammy. Each of them carefully removed the beautiful wrapping to reveal an instantly recognizable shape.

Elesia explained, as each was unwrapped, that what they were holding were Asari Songblades, throwing weapons comprised of five individual blades arranged around a central grip; though quite similar to Japanese throwing stars, these were considerably larger in diameter. "These are modern examples of the traditional weapons used by huntress acolytes in pre-technological Thessia. You'll note the patterns of recesses fashioned into the flats of their blades; when in flight, these recesses cause the blades to 'sing', providing auditory focus for a biotic, who can steer their flight utilizing microgravity fields projected onto the blades. It is an elegant weapon, from a simpler, more civilized age."

Traynor was completely amazed at the generosity of the asari people; carefully setting her new weapon on the table, she turned to face the asari and said, "Thank you, Matriarch Elesia. You honor me… honor us both with your gifts."

Xiùlán took Sammy's hand and pulled them both down in a bow as she added, "Thank you, Matriarch. You… and the asari people… are extraordinarily generous."

_'__Goddess… these two have exceedingly good manners. Are all humans so polite, I wonder?'_ She felt her face flush slightly as she returned their bow before turning to Anita Goyle. "Just to remind you, when Ms Yuán is back on her feet, I intend to sponsor her and Ms Traynor as my guests at the Armali Palace Art Gallery so they can see and understand the importance of the piece they have risked life... and limb... to recover for us. I will arrange for a private, after hours tour in order to keep their presence on Thessia as much a secret as possible."

Goyle nodded as she responded, "Thank you, Minister. You are too kind."

The matriarch smiled at that as she turned back to Traynor. "Excellent. And you, Ms Traynor… I understand you will be undertaking short missions for the Alliance… returning here to visit Ms Yuán between trips into the Traverse? Be sure to have Maracela here tell me when you are in Serrice. If I can arrange it, I will come visit during those times."

"Thank you, Ma'am… I will be sure to do that."

* * *

*** PARNITHA SYSTEM • ALLIANCE SHUTTLECRAFT, AT LARGE ***

Samantha Traynor had her total mass calculated and transmitted to the relay in preparation for her trip to the Citadel. As the UT-47 continued its approach to the ancient machine, she thought about her _Inamorata,_ left behind on Thessia. _ 'Can't be helped, dammit! Need to get ahead of whatever problem General Park has uncovered, and hope to 'ell I don't have to physically confront anyone. Maybe, while I'm on the Citadel, I can get a replacement cuisse and compression pants for Xiùlán.'_

All of this ran through her head as she watched the Relay grow larger on her viewscreen. She smiled as she thought of Xiùlán, insisting that Sammy join her in bed for just a little while, before her scheduled 0230 departure time from Serrice. It had been… interesting. Xiùlán had lain on her right side in order to spare her left thigh. The loving embrace in which she held Sammy had been difficult to leave, which Sam suspected had been Yuán's plan all along. Saying a final 'I love you, Xiùlán', Sammy had gathered her packs and left before either of them could start crying… she did not need to see her lover weeping as she left for what was hoped to be a short trip.

As the enormous eezo core within the spinning containment rings brightened in anticipation of a transit, the rings themselves gradually increased their rotational speed; once the shuttle entered a pre-determined distance from the structure, great waves and sheets of blue-white lightning formed along the length of the relay, reaching out to envelope the shuttle. The UT-47 was drawn into the funnel-like opening of the space-time corridor created by the relay, where it was nearly instantaneously pulled through billions of kilometers of space, emerging in a similar cloud of energy discharges beside the relay in the Widow System.

As the shuttle rapidly decelerated to sub-light velocity, Traynor resumed manual flight control and set course for the Alliance docks at the Citadel; she wanted to drop Xiùlán's armor plate and compression pants off at the Alliance armory before continuing on to Alliance HQ in Vancouver.

* * *

*** SOL SYSTEM • EARTH, ALLIANCE HQ IN VANCOUVER ***

"Serviceman 1st Class Samantha Traynor, 8256-DH-7968, reporting as ordered." Standing at attention, Sammy waited for the Marine Corporal serving as the OD to recognize her and ask her business. When she told him she was here to meet with General RaeLee Park, he immediately sent an inquiry to the general's office server; upon receiving a reply, he stood and indicated a hallway with a wave of his hand. "Second door on the right, Ms Traynor. The general is expecting you."

With a 'Thank you' and a nod of her head, Sammy walked past the corporal's desk and entered the hallway; coming to a halt in front of the door, she rapped on its surface with her knuckles. A curt 'Come in,' could be heard through the wood paneling. Sammy opened the door to a rather opulent looking office; on seeing General Park standing at a table next to her desk, Traynor walked through the doorway and closed the door behind her, coming to attention a meter from the front of Park's desk. "General Park?"

The general glanced over her shoulder at Sammy before picking up a pair of mugs, each emblazoned with the Earth Alliance seal; handing one of the mugs to Traynor, Park indicated she should sit in the chair beside the desk as Park herself took her own seat behind the desk. Taking a cautious sip of tea, the general set the mug down as she fixed her eyes on Sammy and said with a wry grin, "It's hot. Don't burn your mouth." Steepling her fingers in front of her with her elbows on the desk, she said, "Now then… Tell me, how is Yuán's recovery progressing? Is Anita Goyle telling me the truth about Yuán needing your presence in order to heal?"

Traynor felt the blush creeping up her neck from beneath her collar. "Well, you're already aware we're in a relationship, General. I can say in all honesty her perceived pain is less when I'm in the room with her, and the rate her leg is healing from the surgeries has been faster than the doctors predicted."

Park's skepticism was apparent. "Those are _asari_ doctors having very little experience with human physiology. How do they know Yuan's rate of healing isn't normal for a human?"

"Differences in environment aside, General, anatomical differences are negligible. That asari heal faster than humans may be due in part to their environment… Hell… Yuán's Chinese heritage may be helping her heal faster than expected." Traynor sipped her tea, then skewered the general with her eyes and said, "Begging your pardon, Ma'am, but you didn't have me come all this way to Vancouver just to ask me how Service Chief Yuán is progressing… what's happening out there that has you concerned?"

Park lowered her eyes as she took a sip of tea to collect her thoughts. _'Damn! This kid is really eager! Time to lay it all out for her…'_ With a short 'huff' of amusement, Park replied, "A few things have happened while you were on assignment with Yuán and Buchanan."

"Cerberus!" The word rolled off Samantha's tongue like an oily poison. "Whatever they're doing cannot be good for the Alliance. What brought them to the top of the pile of miserable rubbish we have to deal with?"

Park's grim smile held no humor or joy. "In 2165 agents sent by Cerberus murdered several crewmen aboard the _SSV Geneva_ in a failed attempt to steal antimatter. They've engineered several accidents that have exposed colonists to dust-form element zero, which leads us to believe they're researching ways to force biotic abilities onto humans, and damn the consequences of still-births, deformed babies, or those that develop brain cancers." Park took another sip from her mug and sighed. "Then there's the string of assassinations attributed to them, going back to before 2170."

"There have always been political assassinations, General. What makes these any different?"

Park selected a datapad from the several on her desk; handing it to Traynor, she explained, "The people selected as replacements were all either sympathetic to causes espoused by Cerberus, or easily manipulated to become virtual puppets."

Samantha read through the list of names – Pope Clement XVI, replaced by Leo XIV, whose eschatological beliefs were more in line with Cerberus' goal of militarizing humanity; the Illusive Man was believed to have ordered the death of Claude Menneau in 2173 in order to allow Charles Saracino to become the leader of the Terra Firma party. Cerberus also supplied funding to Michael Moser Lang, who gunned down United North American States president Enrique Aguilar and Chinese People's Federation premier Ying Xiong in 2176.

Samantha looked up at General Park, saying, "This one name… Lang? I've seen the name before, but not associated with Cerberus. He's an independent contractor, hiring himself out for the best payday."

Thinking _'Good! She's picked up the scent!'_, Park nodded her head as she said, "Lang disappeared from view after taking out the Chinese premier. Last word we had indicated he was stalking Raherix Ursivus, a warmonger in the Turian Hierarchy." Picking up a different datapad, Park gave it to Traynor in exchange for the one she was holding. "Everything we know about Michael Moser Lang is on this device. Copy the data to your omnitool. I need you out in Council Space tracking down and stopping this guy from doing whatever he's been paid to do. You don't have to stay out there continuously, Samantha, but I do need regular updates on your progress. I have a feeling that whatever he's been paid to do is going to happen… soon. I'd like to prevent him from carrying out his plan, whatever it is."

As Traynor downloaded the information, Park continued, "We've equipped a small ship for your use. Big enough for a proper eezo core, so it's faster than your shuttle, which can be carried in the hanger bay. It's armored, shielded and has defensive weaponry, but it's no warship, so don't get cocky out there."

"How big?" Traynor wanted to know.

"Smaller than an Alliance corvette. We repurposed an old turian corvette – 50 meters in length – the _Spirit's Rage_."

Sam's chuckle was without humor. "50 meters? The UT-47 will take up a third of that. Engines, HVAC, fuel and supplies probably another third… living quarters amount to only 14, 15 meters? Not much of an improvement over living in the shuttle."

Park grinned. "Wouldn't want you to get spoiled with a lot of luxuries, Traynor. It _does_ have a full galley, _and_ a lavatory with shower stall. Sleeping quarters are tight – two berths, one above the other."

"Perfect. Will Buchanan be coming along?"

"He'll be your pilot… and backup, should you get into trouble. I don't anticipate you needing to go dirtside much. The equipment in the UT-47 will be plugged into the _Spirit's Rage_ while the shuttle is docked within – you'll be using the computers in the shuttle for your search, but their 'reach' will be considerably enhanced by using the power, sensors and antennae of the corvette."

Traynor handed the datapad back to the general. "When do I leave, and where do I go to start this search?"

Park set the datapad on the desk, leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I wish there were more time, but… I need you out there yesterday. Your shuttle has been stocked with equipment and supplies you may need. Buchanan has _Spirit's Rage_ in orbit – just go back up in the shuttle and dock with your ship. Your first destination should be the Citadel, then the Trebia system in the Apien Crest – you'll need to determine the whereabouts of Raherix Ursivus, track his movements. I have a terrible feeling in my bones, Sam. That turian's number has come up… we just need to find out how, where, and most importantly, when." Standing, Park stuck out her hand. "Good luck, Samantha… fly safe."

* * *

*** ****_SPIRIT'S RAGE_**** • AT LARGE ***

Traynor and Buchanan had flown from the Local Cluster to the Widow System, where they had placed _Spirit's Rage_ in a 'parking' orbit about the Citadel, blending in with the many freight haulers and military craft that seemed to be locked in a perpetual dance around the station. Sammy felt that a day spent monitoring comms at the Citadel might bear fruit, and the pair could explain their presence in the Widow System a lot more convincingly than if they were in the turian system.

Sammy was inside the shuttle, listening in on supposedly secure communications between the numerous turian ships in the system; she had the system flagged to alert her to any comms traffic coming from the turian councilor's office. While one system monitored ship-to-ship and Citadel-to-ship communications, she setup a second system to monitor the comms between the Apien Crest and the Citadel.

She needed to find Raherix Ursivus before Lang did. The turian was an agitator, traveling among his people's colonies spreading his brand of anti-human hatred. Ursivus' popularity had been slowly growing since the end of the First Contact War, to the point there were those in Alliance Command (including General Park) that felt another war with the turians was an increasing inevitability.

Sammy talked about it with Buchanan during their dinner break; they were each sitting on a small bench that was part of the fold-down table in the tiny galley. "I don't believe Lang will attempt a 'hit' on Ursivus," Sam said between mouthfuls of beans and steamed rice. "He has a number of bodyguards around him at all times, all turian, all intensely loyal. No chance in 'ell that a lone human could get within 70 or 80 meters without being stopped."

Griff took a drink from his glass of beer. "Can Lang use a sniper rifle to take him out?"

"While he's traveling, I suppose, but consider this: the docks are littered with containers of every size, preventing easy shots from ground level, and the kinetic barrier around the ship would deflect any shot from a higher vantage point around the docks. Lang would have to be quite close for a kill shot. How does he pull _that_ off _and_ escape capture?" Sam replied. "I also cannot envision a lone human gaining easy access to a turian passenger vessel." Chewing her rice as she thought about murder for hire, she asked, "How _would_ he eliminate Ursivus and get away? There's nowhere on a ship he can hide, even if he's electronically cloaked. No way to get off while in flight… and once a body's discovered, the turian crew would tear the ship's insides out looking for the guilty party."

Buchanan finished his beer and carefully stood, not fully trusting the low ceilings and close quarters in here. Picking up his dishes and glass, he set them in the sink beside him as he mumbled to himself, "How would you murder someone and get away?" Looking back at Traynor, he asked aloud, "How would _you_ murder someone and get away, Sam? Put yourself in Lang's place. How would you get the job done and live to collect your payday? We need to think in broader terms! Cerberus isn't beyond killing innocents to achieve their goals… case in point, Holden and Walsh. To them, your chum on Mars was simply collateral damage."

"Don't remind me. Never did find out who their handler was, and the Alliance dropped the effort to find out as soon as those two were dead in their cells." Traynor went silent as she continued to ponder their dilemma. Buchanan reached around, took her empty plate and glass, added them to his own dishes and began washing up. _'Collateral damage… no big deal… collateral…'_ "Sonovabitch, Griff! They don't give a vorcha's ass about innocents if the end results meet their goals!"

Traynor got up from the fold down table and moved towards the hanger. "How would you destroy a vessel without actually being on it?"

Griff looked at Sammy as if she'd just turned green and sprouted horns. "It would almost certainly require an explosion, but that would leave a cloud of debris. Someone would surely be able to discover the cause and trace it back to its source."

"In normal space, yes. But what would happen if a ship exploded while transiting a relay pair? It always seems instantaneous to our senses when we're inside the ship, but the reality is a transit between relays takes two, maybe three seconds. Blow up a ship while it's in the time/distance corridor, the cause, the debris, all the bodies, simply vanish."

Buchanan was skeptical. "Has that ever been proven, Traynor?"

"Not to my knowledge… It's only a theory, but it makes perfect sense. Ship moving at FTL explodes – the entire mass drops from FTL while still in the T/D corridor, but the debris is contained and spread along this tight little tunnel until the_ field_ collapses… nothing arrives at the receiving relay. The debris is scattered over billions of kilometers of space, becoming nothing more than cosmic dust."

Still the skeptic, Griff said, "Explosion would have to be perfectly timed, then. No margin for error at either end… Rules out someone triggering it remotely. Have to be done with a precision timer."

Traynor entered the hanger as she called back over her shoulder, "I'm going to begin looking at Ursivus' scheduled trips for the next two months. He's visiting and revisiting turian colonies and the turian dominated wards on the Citadel. Soon as I have a pattern to his movements, I can plot which ships he flies on regularly."

* * *

Traynor had changed the parameters of her searches, tasking one of the computers to find and correlate the schedules of the major turian owned and operated passenger vessels operating out of Palaven. She reset the second system – originally monitoring comms traffic between the Apien Crest and the Citadel – to look for all the travel reservations made either on behalf of or by Raherix Ursivus during the past six months and two or three months into the future.

As it turned out, Ursivus traveled frequently on ships registered to Aequitas E'defit Transitus, which made regular runs between Palaven, The Citadel, Invictus in Minos Wasteland and Illium. A subsidiary company made bi-weekly runs between Illium and Omega Station. Ursivus had made only four trips to Omega in six years, indicating the station was of little interest to him; on the other hand, he'd traveled to the Citadel on a regular basis, most often on either the _MSV Anixara_ or the _MSV Arcus Pluvius._

As both ships were courier class vessels, travel past the Citadel required a layover and change to a bigger vessel. Apparently, the turian seldom needed to travel beyond the Citadel; most of the flights booked for him included a same-day return trip to Palaven, again, on either the _MSV Arcus Pluvius_ or the _MSV Anixara._

Sammy felt she had enough data on Ursivus' travel habits, which made her rather nervous. Michael Moser Lang undoubtedly had a similar database on the turian; the implication being he would strike sooner rather than later. What she needed now was a bit of luck intercepting communications between Lang and his handler within Cerberus.

Resetting the computers to search for any mention of Lang's presence, either on the Citadel or in the Apien Crest, she returned to the living quarters of the _Spirit's Rage;_ entering the small sleeping space, she was startled by a fleeting glimpse of Buchanan's nude backside. "What the 'ell, Griff?" she called after him as he entered the lavatory.

"Just going to take a quick shower before I hit the rack, Sam."

"How about letting me use the head first?" she called. As the shower stall surrounded the toilet, it was impossible for one person to use it while another showered.

Griff came out, towel wrapped around his mid-section. "Have at it, Sammy," he said in a cheery voice. Speaking slightly louder as she went in and closed the door behind her, he asked, "Any leads on Ursivus or Lang?"

"I have a pretty solid record of his travels between Palaven and the Citadel," came the muffled voice. "I'm searching for Lang on the Citadel and in the Apien Crest… need to locate him, and fast," she replied. The sound of the toilet cycling was followed by water running in the sink, then the door opening and Traynor coming out, still drying her hands. "Okay, Griff… it's all yours."

Buchanan carefully moved past her and entered the tiny space. "You'd think…" he said as he closed the door, "… General Park could have put us in a bit bigger ship. There's not enough room in here for me to even turn around," he finished plaintively.

Traynor shook her head without answering, as the sound of water falling in the shower would have drowned her voice out. Entering the galley, she rooted around in the refrigerator, finally extracting a pre-packaged cup of yogurt. Sitting at the small table, she wrote her report on the day's activities between spoonfuls of the synthesized dairy product, then moved into the small cockpit, downloaded and transmitted her report to Park.

Their next move would involve docking at the Citadel, where she hoped to discover some clue on Lang's whereabouts; she felt if he was going to sabotage a ship on which Ursivus would be traveling, he'd have to do it during the Citadel layover. It would take careful planning and meticulous timing, and she would have to discover how, exactly, Lang intended to bring the ship down. Checking her Chrono, she decided to leave the ship's VI in charge for the night – she entered the small sleeping compartment, stripped out of her uniform and climbed into the top bunk. She stopped thinking about Lang, turning her thoughts instead to those of her lover. Lying on her side, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Rising before Griff was awake, Traynor carefully left her bunk and slipped into the head, where she stripped out of her sleep shirt and panties, voided her bladder, then turned the shower on. She washed her hair before soaping and rinsing her body as fast as she could; she wasn't sure how much hot water was available, and didn't want to have the water go cold before she finished.

She was drying herself when a light tap on the door told her that Griff was out of bed; she wrapped the towel around her torso, grabbed her supplies and opened the door. "Good morning," she said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Rack's a bit tight for someone my size – of course, most of them are, no matter how big the ship is."

Traynor moved past Buchanan as he entered the space she was vacating. "Soon as we have some breakfast, I'm going to take the shuttle to the Citadel, Griff… I want to take a look at the docking facilities for the turian transports in which Ursivus travels, maybe get a sense of the kind and amount of security around the area."

Glancing quickly over her shoulder to make sure she was out of Griff's line of sight, she dropped her towel in favor of high-thigh underpants and a sport bra; once inside the shuttle, she'd put on her under-armor mesh, socks, boots and armor, along with her weapons. Moving into the tiny galley, she found that Griff had already made coffee; she gratefully poured herself a mug of the steaming beverage, grabbed a couple of breakfast bars and moved to the ship's bridge. Taking the pilot's seat, she entered several commands on the VI interface, instructing it to move the ship closer to the Citadel and establish a close orbit of the facility.

Leaning back in her chair, she sipped her coffee and ate one of her breakfast bars as _Spirit's Rage_ complied with the instructions she'd entered for the VI. By the time she had finished her second breakfast bar and drained the last of her coffee, the ship was in a new, closer orbit about the Citadel.

Traynor rose and went back to the galley, where she ran into Buchanan pouring a cup of coffee for himself. As she rinsed and dried her mug, she told him about her plans for the day. "I'm going to take the shuttle to the Alliance docks. Once there, I'll begin searching for Lang… I believe he's on the station, staying out of sight, but if he is eating and sleeping, he has to be using chits. Once I find him, it should be a simple matter to track him."

"Looks like you're a bit under-dressed for an excursion," he snarked. "So, what do you need me to do while you're ashore?"

"Monitor my comms channel," she responded, ignoring the dig. "I'll spend some of my time actively using the search programs, but anytime I can leave the shuttle for a couple of hours, I will. Who knows – maybe we'll get lucky, find him before he can move on those turian transports.

Griff chuckled as he asked, "Think you can stay outta trouble for a day?"

"Me?" she asked innocently. "Trouble? There's very few batarians on the station, Griff – I don't expect I'll have any difficulty avoiding trouble. See you this evening." With that, Traynor left for the passageway to the hanger deck, where she unplugged the shuttle's systems from _Spirit's Rage_ before entering the small craft; after closing and sealing the hatch, she pulled equipment from her locker: under-armor mesh pants and overshirt, socks, boots, armor plates, kinetic and cloaking generator, mass reduction generator, sheathed butterfly knives and heavy pistol. After donning it all with practiced ease, she signaled the ship's VI to erect the kinetic barrier and open the main hanger doors.

From the pilot's chair, Traynor initiated the startup sequence for the ME generator, turbo-fuel pumps, navicomputers, inertial dampeners and environmental systems. When all the gauges and sensors indicated the shuttle's systems were operating within specs, she had the onboard VI take the UT-47 out of the hanger; once clear of the ship, she took over manual control and set course for the Citadel.

* * *

Wearing her dark-grey, calf-length hooded overcoat, Samantha stayed in the shadows as much as possible as she approached the turian commercial spacecraft docks. With her electronic cloak engaged and only having to avoid physical contact with the turians moving around the ships, she drew as close as she dared, knowing the proximity sensors would detect her presence, cloaked or not.

In addition to the proximity sensors, security around the mostly empty docks consisted of armed C-Sec guards. C-Sec's patrols were designed to appear unscheduled, with guards appearing randomly at the various access points within the perimeter. The guards themselves were regularly rotated out of the station's complement in order to keep them from gaining any familiarity with the turians charged with servicing the ships between trips.

By carefully walking the perimeter where the _Arcus Pluvius_ and the _Anixara_ regularly docked; it didn't take long for her search to pay off. There was a pronounced gap in the security coverage that would allow a cloaked individual, such as herself, to stroll right up to the boarding ramps of both ships. Traynor had no doubt Lang would employ a personal cloaking generator just as she was doing now. She documented all this with her omni-tool in order to have proof that clandestine access to the ships was possible, then rechecked the schedules for both ships; the _Arcus Pluvius_ would be arriving within the hour. A nearby passenger lounge that catered to non-turian travelers would provide her a good place to observe the ship's arrival and docking procedures.

After turning off her cloaking generator, she boldly entered the small lounge and took a seat near enough to the front window so she could watch the docks; additionally, the reflections in the window allowed her to observe the area behind her – always a concern when she was supposed to remain unnoticed.

* * *

The arrival of the _Arcus Pluvius_ was preceded by an increasing amount of activity about the designated dock, as cargo handlers staged containers for loading, while leaving a path for the anticipated containers that would be off-loaded during the ship's brief layover. Traynor activated 'video recording' on her omni-tool and placed her arm so as to capture as much of the activities around the arriving vessel as possible – she'd upload it to the shuttle's storage server, after which it could be analyzed be either Griff or herself.

The arrival of the ship as it pierced the atmospheric kinetic barrier and slowly eased itself between the dual walkways was actually anticlimactic. Studying all the activity once the ship was docked and the passengers had disembarked, Traynor realized a saboteur could enter the ship as a cargo handler; once aboard, it would be a simple matter to plant a device of some sort near any bulkhead in the aft portion of the vessel, then leave with no one the wiser. More importantly for her needs, the dock workers were a mixture of races – there were a few humans scattered among the mostly turian crew doing the work; there were even a couple of batarians. Two thoughts occurred to her nearly in unison – a cloaked human _might_ be able to enter and leave the ship's cargo area unseen, _if_ caution was used to avoid the few batarians among the dock workers, _and_ it might just be possible that Buchanan could get a job working with the ground crew as a temporary laborer, thus enabling them to view the cargo area of the ship.

What was proving difficult for her to fathom was the timing. If the device, whatever it was, was triggered too soon or too late, the explosion would happen in normal space, leaving easily retrievable evidence. She was missing something… an action that Lang could take that would make in-flight destruction of an interstellar passenger ship appear to be an accident… but what?

Her thoughts were spinning in circles – better to stop thinking about sabotage to the _Anixara_ and start looking for Lang. Traynor didn't believe he'd be staying anywhere near the Presidium; accommodations there were quite expensive, and she didn't expect Cerberus would be footing the bill for such – _that_ was the Illusive Man's specialty. No, Lang would be staying in the wards. There were plenty of places close enough to the Presidium for easy accessibility that wouldn't break the bank.

Activating her Comms unit, she called the _Spirit's Rage._ "Griff, I'm on my way back to the shuttle… think you're up for a little manual labor?"

The answering chuckle was lacking in humor. _"Let me guess… you need me to hire on as a cargo handler."_

"How'd you know? Anyway, it'll get you off the ship so you can get some exercise. Nothing dangerous. I'll be back on board shortly." Traynor left the passenger lounge and made her way back to the Alliance docks where her shuttle was parked.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_The sharp-eyed among you may have caught my reference to _Star Wars: IV_ in the presentation of the Asari Songblades – _'an elegant weapon, from a simpler, more civilized age'_ – It's a paraphrase from Obi-Wan Kenobi's explanation to Luke concerning the light saber he'd just been given._


	30. Storm Warning

_Girls like her were born in a storm. They have lightning in their souls. Thunder in their hearts. And chaos in their bones.  
__– _ Nikita Gill

* * *

**_Inamorata_** _– _A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_Stropharia_**_ – _shit, as in 'sack of stropharia' (Batarian)

* * *

*** WIDOW SYSTEM • ****_SPIRIT'S RAGE_**** • AT LARGE ***

Buchanan and Traynor alternated their forays on the Citadel for several days after Sammy's initial visit to the docks frequented by turian warmonger Raherix Ursivus. They were following some promising leads concerning Michael Moser Lang, an independent contractor frequently employed by Cerberus for 'wet' work; Alliance Intelligence had good reason to believe Ursivus was the target for Lang's next hit.

Traynor felt they were running out of time to discover the 'where' and 'how' for the hit they knew was inevitable. She was looking at anything that could tie Lang to a planned hit on the turian, and had actually started to believe there was nothing to discover when an odd purchase caught her eyes.

A significant quantity of liquid deuterium had been purchased from a chemical wholesale importer on the Citadel. D2O was a compound most theoretical chemical researchers agreed could _possibly_ create a cascading, catastrophic chain-reaction failure if injected into a stream of metastable metallic hydrogen fuel being pumped at high pressure and quantities into a reaction engine, as used by commercial interstellar transports. The outcome was not a sure thing, as no legitimate research facilities would build a test facility to test something that had no practical applications, but Traynor wouldn't put such an experiment beyond the capabilities of Cerberus owned Cord-Hislop Aerospace.

Traynor and Buchanan spent several days following the discovery of the deuterium purchase determining the identity of the person, or persons, who had acquired the substance. The company importing it had extremely poor encryption protocols in place; all of their records may just as well have been an open book to an inquisitive person such as Traynor. It turned out the large quantity purchase had been only one of several completed in the past month; while Griff tracked the origins of all the previous purchases, Sam concentrated on learning where it was all to be shipped, and by what carrier.

Lang had still not been seen during their entire stay on the Citadel; Sam had one computer on the shuttle devoted to matching Lang's face to one of the many thousands of human faces scanned each day by security cameras all over the wards. Sam was more than a little frustrated at her lack of progress, saying as much to Griff during their evening meal.

"How the 'ell are we supposed to stop this guy if he never exposes himself?" She sipped her beer in between bites of her bean and rice burrito. "I think I'm close to discovering where the stuff's going to be shipped, but we still need to tie the shipment to Lang."

Buchanan took a bite from his own burrito, chewed and swallowed before replying. "I've seen nothing out of the ordinary while loading either of those turian ships. Do you really think Lang will destroy a ship full of innocent people to get at Ursivus?"

"I'm convinced of it, Griff. Cerberus does not play nice… killing ten... or ten _dozen_ innocents in order to eliminate their target? Not even a consideration on their part."

"Okay, then," Buchanan replied quietly. "We'll just have to keep looking."

* * *

*** THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

Yuán Xiùlán grimaced from the pain as Doctor Shakia examined her left thigh. Xiùlán had been rapidly recovering from the multiple surgeries performed to repair her shattered thigh – had even been walking with the aid of a cane. The pain in her leg had gradually returned, and was soon accompanied by a low-grade fever and hyper-touch sensitivity near any of the numerous healed incision and graft sites.

"I'm sorry, Xiùlán. I believed the healing of your leg had progressed further; apparently, I was mistaken." The asari appeared to be embarrassed by this revelation. "You have contracted an infection near the initial bullet wound… possibly from a spot of debris or fragment of the original bullet we did not notice when we performed the surgery."

"So, what's the plan, Doctor? I was looking forward to being back at work with Sà mǐ."

"We'll return you to the hospital, treat the infection and attempt to remove its cause," came the reply. "You should be out again in three days." Xiùlán's disappointment must have been plain, as Shakia added, "Again, I apologize. It is unfortunate, but getting you past this infection… and its cause… will take much less time than it took us to repair your leg from the very beginning." Placing a hand on Yuán's shoulder, the doctor finished with, "I understand this setback is discouraging, but it will only be a few additional days."

* * *

*** WIDOW SYSTEM • ****_SPIRIT'S RAGE_**** • AT LARGE ***

Traynor was returning from yet another trip to the Citadel; Buchanan had the ship heading for the relay as soon as she docked the shuttle.

Sensing her presence behind his chair on the bridge, he asked without looking around, "So, still haven't found our elusive Mr Lang?"

"Not yet. I keep hoping the search program I'm running will turn up something. The sonovabitch is on the Citadel, Griff… I can feel it in my bones. I suspect he doesn't travel anywhere without an active cloaking generator, so the search program may _never_ turn up anything, and the few leads I had today all turned out to be nothing." Traynor snorted with disgust. "Son of a bitch may as well be a ghost." After a brief pause, she asked, "How about shipping info on the deuterium… any luck there?"

"It's not being shipped… it's being moved… relocated, to the freight forwarding terminal adjacent to the passenger loading zone for our two turian passenger liners," Griff replied.

Traynor's jaw dropped at this. "He's storing that shit right next to the passenger docks? That's pretty bold, even for Cerberus!"

Griff smiled grimly. "Stuff is stable enough on its own… shouldn't pose any problem just sitting there. We just need to make sure we get notified if… and when, it gets moved again; perhaps part of it will be loaded on either the _Arcus Pluvius_ or the _Anixara_, or both. Do we know how much of this stuff would need to be introduced in the fuel to cause a reaction?"

Sammy frowned. "Chemistry wasn't my specialty in college, Griff, but I suspect the amount would be minimal. Doesn't mean a large amount wouldn't be effective – might speed up the reaction, make it more catastrophic. Guess I need to do a bit of research on the subject. Perhaps it's time I looked into Cord-Hislop's research notes. I'm going back down to the shuttle, do some digging."

* * *

Traynor spent the next two hours slipping into the servers maintained by Cord-Hislop Aerospace, discovering as she did so that the company had a wealth of skeletons in its virtual closet. It came as no surprise the firm had done research on the effects of adding deuterium as a catalyst to destabilize metallic hydrogen fuel – Lang would certainly be aware of those findings, even if the amount of deuterium sitting in the freight forwarding terminal was nearly three times the amount he'd need to bring down a small ship.

Traynor propped her booted feet up on the control console as she leaned back in her chair, thinking about Cerberus' methods for assassination. She felt she knew how Lang intended to pull off the assassination, and had quickly focused all her searches on the methodology needed to do so. In addition to the deuterium sitting on the docks, he'd need a smaller container, a precision timer, and an injection system that could overcome the tremendous pressure within the piping supplying the engine with fuel.

As she began researching recent hardware acquisitions on the station, her facial recognition search finally bore results – a security camera had spotted Lang near the transfer area. Activating her comms, she said, "Found 'im, Griff! I'm going down to the docks." Quickly disconnecting the shuttle from Spirit's Rage, she undocked from the ship and promptly flew to a public dock near the commercial transport area where the turian transports docked. Still armored up from her previous visits, she set security for the shuttle before leaving on a dead run for the commercial docks.

Setting her cloaking generator and slowing her pace as she entered the public area between the docks and freight transfer area, she inspected the area where the containers of deuterium were being stored, and was less than pleased to discover one had been removed, probably by Lang.

Knowing he could not have traveled too far, she used her omni-tool to query the cameras in the vicinity, particularly the one that had originally recorded his image. After several seconds, she picked up the trail. Lang had been seen moving the one container into a small warehouse nearby; being a bit more careful now, Sam followed cautiously – getting discovered was the last thing she needed when she was so close.

Opening her comms channel, she called the _Spirit's Rage._ "Griff, I need an interior schematic for the warehouse at these coordinates." While she waited, Traynor did a bit of reconnoitering in the immediate area – this late in the Citadel's daily time cycle, most of the places in this industrial area were closed for the night. The side alleys and main access roads around her location appeared to be deserted, something that would definitely work in her favor.

Her omni-tool silently came to life for a moment as Griff delivered the interior schematics; Traynor shielded her wrist as she opened the map; after studying it briefly, she spotted a side door in a poorly-lit portion at the rear corner of the structure. After sending an overload to each of the two cameras pointed at that location, Traynor moved to the door.

As she touched the surface in preparation of hacking the lock, the door gave way slightly; whoever had last come this way had not latched it completely, leading her to wonder if there might be a good reason why. Almost without thinking, she dialed her mass down to a minimum and jumped straight up, catching the edge of the roof as an explosion ripped through the door, scattering debris across the alley. _'Dirty bastard would have had my ass in that blast,'_ she thought. Pulling herself over the edge of the wall, she went prone on the flat roof and peeked out over the edge at the area below.

A figure came out through the now doorless opening and looked about, as if attempting to find a body. Fortunately for Traynor, the human male didn't think to turn his gaze upwards, or he might have discovered his intended target looking down at him. Traynor pulled her head back and turned her attention to the broad expanse of rooftop; there were several raised skylights, along with numerous ventilators and vent pipes.

Gingerly moving her head, she peeked down and discovered there were now two humans in the alleyway, apparently there to insure no one could enter the warehouse through the now doorless opening in the wall. Coming to a decision, Traynor got to her feet and carefully made her way to the closest skylight. After a careful inspection, she determined that one bank of windows could be opened far enough for her to slip through. Activating her comms again, she filled Griff in on what had happened and the course of action she was planning.

_"__Doesn't sound like a smart move, Traynor. You sure there's no other way?"_

"None that I can see, Griff," she replied. "I think you better dock _Spirit's Rage_ and come meet me, just in case the pile of stropharia I step in is too deep to get out of unaided.

Griff sighed heavily, then said, _"Okay, Sammy. Give me an hour or so."_

"Try to make it faster, Griff. I don't think these guys are going to wait around, and they're not nice people. I'm going to drop in on them, see what I can find."

_"__Not a good idea, Traynor. Stay in cover… wait 'til I can shadow you, watch your six."_

It was Traynor's turn to sigh. "Okay, Griff. I'll wait here on the roof… just… get here soon as you can. I don't want these people disappearing before we find out what they're doing."

_"__On my way, Traynor."_

* * *

*** THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

Xiùlán was dreaming. There was a hand… cool, soft… gently caressing her forehead and cheek. Another hand, also cool, was using fingers to gently trace imaginary patterns on the back of her left hand. The sensations invoked by the contact started in her chest – a feeling of deep contentment, of being cared for, of almost… being loved… She had felt this contentment… many times. Xiùlán allowed her eyelids to part just enough to reconnoiter her immediate surroundings. The hand on her face was attached to a forearm covered in a sleeve made of pale green cloth… the bit of wrist she could see was… blue.

Turning her head as she cracked her eyes open a bit more revealed the smiling face of Doctor Shakia, gently waking her from a pleasant afternoon nap. "How are you feeling, Ms Yuán?"

Xiùlán offered up a weak smile and replied in a rough whisper, "Okay, I guess. I was dreaming… about Sammy… Thought it was _her_ hands on my face and hand." That it had not been Sammy brought on a tone of disappointment in her voice. "Even though I know she's on a mission for General Park, I was hoping she could slip into the system for an evening."

Dr Shakia had removed the dressing on Xiùlán's thigh while she was talking; waving her omni-tool over her leg from hip to knee, she inspected the scan results and nodded slightly in approval. "It appears we have taken care of the infection, Ms Yuán. Your body temperature has returned to human normal, and all the grafts are healing properly. I think that, barring any unforeseen complications, we'll discharge you back to the rehab unit tomorrow morning, let you resume exercising that leg."

Xiùlán perked up at this bit of good news. "Thanks, Doctor. It'll be good to be able to walk without every step being painful."

* * *

*** CITADEL, COMMERCIAL DOCKS &amp; WAREHOUSE DISTRICT ***

Traynor had chaffed at the delay required to have Buchanan arrive to watch her back. After waiting for thirty minutes, during which time she witnessed an increasing amount of activity on the floor below the skylight through which she was watching, she carefully unlatched the window and silently opened it to its maximum. She was just placing one leg over the edge when her comms came alive: _"Traynor! I'm on the ground in front of the warehouse… where are you?"_

"Still on the roof. Look down the open side of the building… there should be a guard at either end of the alleyway, keeping watch on the unsecured doorway. A distraction there might make it easier for me to slip in without being seen."

The snarky smile in his voice came through as he responded with, _"One distraction coming up…"_

Traynor wondered what the big man intended to do. _'Seriously doubt he has anything explosive…';_ the thought had barely occurred when a mixed howl of pain and surprise echoed up from below. Without waiting for more, Sam activated her cloak as she swung her other leg through the opening and dropped, light as a feather, into the one pool of shadow she'd observed from above.

Mass back to her normal weight and silenced pistol in hand, she spun around quickly to look for threats; there was some confused noise coming from the vicinity of the rear corner of the building, but her line of sight was blocked by several stacks of shipping containers. She ran for the containers; coming up hard against the stack nearest the open floor, she quickly looked around towards the noise.

A small group of men, numbering no more than seven, were clustered near the wide open doorway; they were apparently arguing about the distinct lack of security such an opening provided, along with attempting to come up with a defensive plan for whatever was outside attacking the guards.

With her hasty look Sam had carefully inspected each man's face; none of them was Lang, which meant she'd either missed the bastard or he was elsewhere in the building. As she pondered which way to move, the unmistakable sound of gunfire erupted outside; Griff must be really stirring things up. Looking up, she determined the top of the stack of containers was only nine meters, based on three containers each three meters high. Dialing her mass back, she made a combination jump and climb; once prone on top of the containers, she could more easily see her surroundings.

The group of men at the door had been whittled down to five, not counting the two outside. Backing away from the edge, she stood, turned and jumped almost in one motion; leaping from stack to stack, the irony of what she was doing was not lost on her… she had done nearly the same thing during her mission on Cartagena Station. A small office structure was revealed to her as she carefully looked down from atop the furthest container; the dim light within allowed her to see but not identify the figure moving around. Activating her comms, she said, "Griff, where are you?"

Filtered sounds of gunfire could be heard through her earpiece as he replied, _"Pinned down by some really determined bad guys, Sam. They can't advance on me without more of 'em getting killed, but I can't leave my cover for the same reason. A little help from the rear would be nice."_

"Okay. Hang on…" Sam looked around on the floor outside the office before turning back the way she'd come, moving across the stacked containers as she thought, _'Has to be Lang in that office area – deuterium container's sitting outside.'_ Going prone as she reached the edge, she pulled her silenced pistol and carefully aimed at three of the remaining five men, all close to the door. Her pistol coughed three times, dropping each of the three before the others could react. Rolling away from the edge before she was seen, "Okay, Griff… three down, two left in here. How many left outside?"

_"__Two… I got one of them… one of the remaining two was an outside guard,"_ Griff grunted in reply. _"That's just about all of 'em, right?"_

"Seems so. Stand by… it's about to get noisy." Peeking back over the edge of the container revealed only the three prone figures. As she rolled away from the edge, a small explosion of energy ripped past the location where her face had just been. '_Shit, they have an engineer down there. Sonovabitch is trying to disable my weapons electronically.'_ Pulling her shotgun, Traynor took a deep breath to center herself before rising to her feet.

Time seemed to slow for her as she took three running steps towards the far wall; leaping into the empty space above her previous victims, she aimed and fired her shotgun as she slowly fell. The recoil from the powerful gun against her reduced mass shoved her back and to the side half-a-meter, just enough for the omni-tool blast from the engineer on the floor to miss; the next blast from the scattergun caught the unfortunate man full in the face, killing him instantly as his head exploded in a mass of red froth,.

Increasing her mass, she tucked into a forward roll as she touched down on the floor. Changing her grip on her weapon as she completed the roll, she utilized a brutal, upward angled straight blow to the mouth and nose of the extremely large human attempting to grab her, nearly lifting him from his feet; she cut off his scream of pain with a pointblank shot to the throat, dropping him to lie in a spreading pool of red.

A quick look around confirmed everyone was dead; engaging her cloak, she headed out the nearby door and turned towards the front of the building. One of the two remaining thugs turned at the sound of her footsteps crunching through the rubble. Taking careful aim, she ripped through his kinetic barrier and chest plate with her first shot; her follow-up ripped through clothing, skin, bone and lungs. Without sparing the dying man a second glance, she whistled as she walked towards the last holdout. This guy stood and faced her, arms spread from his sides, hands empty. "You wouldn't kill an unarmed man, would you?"

"You were armed less than ten seconds ago, so I'm guessing you stashed your pistol before standing to face me," Traynor replied. In a voice cold enough to freeze the air around her, she finished with, "If you turn and leave now, I may let you live."

He hesitated for a moment before common sense dictated his actions – he turned and started running, leaving the alleyway to Griff, Sam, and the dead bodies on the ground and in the warehouse. Buchanan rose and trotted to catch up to her as she turned and strode back to the warehouse. "I think Lang was inside, Griff, but with all the noise from our little war out here, it'd be a safe bet he's long gone, along with the deuterium that was outside that office."

The pair carefully made their way back through the warehouse; picking their way past Samantha's handiwork, they came around the containers at the far end to an office devoid of life. The deuterium was gone as well, but there were several items in the office that proved to Traynor they were on the right path. "We need to gather this up and get clear before C-Sec arrives to see what all the fireworks are about."

"Agreed," Griff responded as he nervously watched the warehouse for signs of movement.

Traynor hacked into the terminal on the desk and uploaded all the current files to her omni-tool – she'd peruse them later once they'd returned to _Spirit's Rage._

Looking around on the floor, she spotted a datapad lying in the shadows under the desk; her fingers had nearly closed on it when Griff roughly jerked her arm away. "Just a bit suspicious, don't you think? Something like that, lying loose in here that could tie Lang to this place?"

Sam looked at the big man for a moment, the surprise at his action turning to chagrin. Taking a deep breath, she turned the light from her omni-tool on the shadow enveloping the datapad, revealing an attached motion detector. "Damn it," she huffed. "I'll bet this desk is packed with enough explosives to level this side of the building. Thanks, Griff."

"Don't mention it," he grinned. "I don't fancy being part of whatever that thing was going to activate either! Let's get out of here… let C-Sec deal with this place."

* * *

*** WIDOW SYSTEM • ****_SPIRIT'S RAGE_**** • AT LARGE ***

By the time Buchanan had moved Spirit's Rage back into the nebula and Traynor had docked the shuttle, the pair had been without sleep for close to twenty hours. Griff had Sammy go to her bunk and get some shut-eye while he cleaned up their weapons and armor. After a three hour nap, Traynor felt a whole lot sharper, a condition not lost on the burly Service Chief. "Perhaps I wouldn't have had to pull your hand away from that datapad if you had been a bit more rested."

Embarrassment colored her cheeks slightly as she replied, "Maybe so… I just hope the files I uploaded from the desk terminal will provide enough information to solve our puzzle."

Griff wasn't done. "I got a message from Serrice Hospital while you were napping… Dr Shakia re-admitted Xiùlán to the hospital to treat an infection in her leg. Sounds like she's planning to get Xiùlán back into the rehab unit as soon as she can, probably in three days' time."

"Damn! I should be with her, Griff. Did the doctor say I needed to be there?"

"She didn't, and I expect if she _had_ needed you, she'd have had to ask for your presence with a request sent through Ambassador Goyle. General Park isn't going to cut either of us loose from this investigation, especially when we're so damned close to bagging Lang."

Traynor ran her hands through her hair as she thought about her _Inamorata,_ alone on an alien planet. Xiùlán was getting the best of care, but she was only a one-relay jump away… _'__I could be there and back before anyone missed me!'_ came the unbidden thought.

Buchanan was not stupid… he could see the wheels spinning and said, "I miss her too, Sammy, and I can see what you're thinking. You know damn well she'd kick your ass for even thinking about going to see her." The Service Chief placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as he smiled at her. "The Alliance would call it dereliction of duty, along with being absent without leave, not to mention you'd put me in an impossible position."

Traynor smiled at her friend. "I'd never do that to you, Griff. I'd kill you first, then go." Sammy was immediately sorry for saying that as Griff's smile vanished.

"Dammit, Sammy! Don't even joke about that, okay? That's not even remotely funny."

"Sorry. Guess I need some more sleep… speaking of which, time for you to turn in, catch a few Zees." Before Griff could raise the obvious objection, she raised her hands, palms facing him and added, "I promise… I'll still be here when you wake up. I've got to look at a lot of data, so… go! Head for your rack."

Buchanan wasn't about to argue – he was nearly asleep already. "Wake me if you find anything significant, otherwise…"

"I don't expect I'll find anything, but if I do, you'll be the first one I call."

* * *

Three hours later, Sammy stood and stretched in an attempt to work out the kink in her neck. She had discovered how Lang intended to assassinate Raherix Ursivus, and believed she now knew the date he'd make the attempt.

Lang needed to add one piece of non-standard equipment to the fuel system controls aboard the _Anixara_ – something that would be small enough to escape a cursory inspection by engineering personnel. The Cerberus agent had acquired a high-pressure fuel injector assembly originally intended for a much larger ship – say, a frigate, or a cruiser. Installing it in the fuel supply system of the _Anixara_ would require precision placement, something that could only be done by a trained technician; Traynor suspected such a person would come from Cord-Hislop.

The timer was the really ingenious part of the entire scheme. Lang's device was equipped with a smart receiver that would 'listen' to the signals generated by the paired relays during FTL transit. During the two-to-three second long FTL transit, the signals from each relay would reach the same relative strength approximately mid-way through the space-time corridor – the instant that happened, the timer would trigger the injection of deuterium into the fuel being pumped at high-pressure to the fusion reactor; a catastrophic core breach would occur within milliseconds, destroying the ship and killing all the people aboard.

Traynor carefully prepared her report for General Park, including all her sources of information so there would be no doubt concerning Lang's willingness to sacrifice thirty-five to fifty people in order to eliminate one target. Based on her data, the _Anixara_ would be destroyed eight days from today, on a trip from the Citadel to the turian home system in the Apien Crest. After rousing Buchanan from his slumbers, she explained everything she was placing in her report, appended Griff's notes to the report, then transmitted it all to General Park, along with a request for follow-up instructions.

Samantha felt confident Park would have them disable the device immediately prior to the _Anizara's_ departure, and was already working out the plans in her head as she opened the comms terminal and placed a call to her lover on Thessia.

When the call went through and Xiùlán's image appeared on the viewer, the radiant smile on her face brought tears of happiness to Sam's eyes. "Xiùlán! I've missed you so much! How are you doing, Luv? Is your leg getting better?"

_"__It's much better, Sà mǐ!" _Xiùlán exclaimed._ "Dr Shakia tells me I'll be released back to rehab tomorrow, so I should be able to come home in a couple more weeks!"_

"That's wonderful news, Darling. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again… seems like it's been forever. Will you be able to go home when you get back… visit your parents?"

_"__Don't know… I'll have to wait, see what assignment General Park has for me…"_

The pair chatted for several more minutes, until an incoming call forced Traynor to end her call to Xiùlán. "Call me tomorrow after you've been discharged from hospital, Luv. Maybe I'll have some news from General Park. Gotta go… Love you!"

Traynor answered the incoming call, and was surprised to see General Park on the screen. "General… I wasn't expecting you to call so soon. What may I do for you, Ma'am?"

_"__I've looked through your report, Ms Traynor,"_ came the grim-faced reply. _"I need to meet with you and Buchanan in person, here in my office. File a flight plan and send me the details as soon as possible."_

"Yes Ma'am… right away, Ma'am." The general terminated the connection before Traynor could even ask what the problem was. Sammy hollered back towards their kitchen/dining area, "Buchanan… we need to travel to Sol!"

* * *

*** SOL SYSTEM • EARTH, ALLIANCE HQ IN VANCOUVER ***

Buchanan and Traynor only had to wait a few moments before General Park's aide ushered them into her office. Standing behind her desk, the general waved the pair towards the chairs facing the desk as she said, "Hold all my calls, Ms Flynn."

After Flynn acknowledged Park's request and closed the office door behind her, Park took a seat, picking up a datapad as she did so. "Since I called you, I've read through your report a bit more thoroughly, Traynor, Buchanan. Seems pretty incredible that Lang would simply write off the deaths of so many innocent people as collateral damage." Raising her hand as Sammy began to protest, she continued. "I don't doubt for one second the veracity of what you've uncovered, Ms Traynor. I want you to know I went up the chain," she smiled grimly, "short as that chain is, with the contents of this report. Consensus is, we let events unfold as they will."

Traynor was on her feet instantly. "General Park, with all due respect, Ma'am, we can't do that!" At the intense look from the general, she amended her statement, "Something needs to be done, Ma'am, or a lot of people, innocent people just trying to get home, will vanish without a trace. You do understand that a drive-core failure within a relay-created space/time corridor will result in a contained explosion. Nothing will come out…"

Park interrupted her by completing her statement. "… of the other end but dust. I understand that, Ms Traynor, as do the admirals and generals up that short chain." Indicating to Sammy that she should sit back down, Park continued, "I applaud your research… it is extensive, detailed, and proves to me I have the right team on the job. That said, the people _I_ answer to will not allow your report to reveal our abilities to the rest of the Alliance, or the galactic community. There's too much at stake."

"Ma'am, preventing the destruction of that ship would elevate humanity in the eyes of the other races, particular the turians," Sammy responded. "Preventing the death of a war monger like Raherix Ursivus might just show them we're not the threat so many turians think we are. Are we just going to sit on that information… let the _Anixara_ be destroyed?"

Park's frown was not directed at Traynor or Buchanan, but Sammy couldn't help but think that it was. "That's exactly what we're going to do, Ms Traynor."

Traynor was incensed that a chance to save innocent lives was going to be squandered. "Then we're no damn better than Cerberus, General Park."

The general reacted as if Traynor had slapped her; standing from her chair, she placed her fingertips on the surface of her desk and ground out, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that, Serviceman! You are dangerously close to insubordination here."

Traynor had stood at the same time as General Park. "Is it insubordination to state the truth, or has the Systems Alliance issued an edict that its service members are to disobey their conscience?"

"That's enough, Serviceman Traynor! I recommend you shut your mouth before it talks you into a dishonorable discharge."

Traynor was so angry she was trembling all over; Park continued to stand at her desk, waiting to see what Traynor would do. _'She could kill me where I stand and I'd never see it coming,'_ came the unwelcome thought. _'Will she stand down, I wonder?'_

Sammy finally found her tongue again, asking, "Am I dismissed, General Park?"

Park thought for a moment, then answered, "You are… both of you are dismissed. See Corporal Flynn on your way out… she'll see you both are assigned temporary quarters here on the base." As Buchanan rose from his chair and Sammy turned to leave, Park added, "Remember, both of you… not a word to anyone about what you've been doing. I don't know for a fact, but this may be your last special assignment."

The look Traynor gave the general spoke volumes about her state of mind. Wisely staying silent, she left the general's office like a cold wind, Buchanan hot on her heels.

* * *

It had been nine days since Traynor and Buchanan had arrived in Vancouver to brief General Park concerning the results of their investigation into the planned assassination of turian Hierarchy hawk Raherix Ursivus. Since their meeting, the pair had been confined to base in order to ensure their silence concerning Michael Moser Lang's involvement in the plot. Traynor had spent three hours in the morning and afternoon of each day working out in the gymnasium; morning exercises involved honing her skills with her húdié dāo [蝴蝶刀 – _butterfly sword(s)_] – as she had done on the asari corvette _Ionsaí,_ she employed them in slow-motion 'shadow' fights, emphasizing precision movement at all times – afternoons were spent on core exercises designed to maintain her strength and agility.

On this particular morning, General Park entered the gym through a side door and slowly walked up to Sammy's exercise area. As Park was wearing sweats, Traynor chose to ignore her presence, concentrating on her movements. Park watched her for several minutes before commenting, "I expect those knives are not the only weapons with which you're proficient… I already know about your unarmed prowess, thanks to your dust-up with a certain Jason Joesiar. What about firearms?"

Park thought for a moment Traynor wasn't going to respond when she heard the words, "Rifle. Pistol. Shotgun. Take your pick." The first three were said with a grunt as she lunged with one or the other of the knives in her hands.

Park replied, "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

Before she replied, Traynor shoved her knives into their calf-mounted sheaths, grabbed a towel to wipe some of the sweat from her face and arms, took a drink of water, then turned to stand facing the general from a meter away. "What can I do for you, Ma'am?"

Park had never seen Traynor out of uniform. The woman was wearing a sleeveless, cropped compression top, allowing full view of the massive musculature of her arms and the pronounced definition of her abs. Her exercise shorts, coming only from hipbone to mid-thigh, allowed a similar view of her legs. _'Goddamn woman's build would put most men to shame,'_ Park thought. _'It's a wonder she didn't kill Joesiar with her fists!'_ She said, "I just came by to tell you you're free to travel… check out a shuttle, go to Thessia to see Yuán, if you like. Once she's released from rehab there, you're both on leave for thirty days, after which you'll each report to your new duty assignments."

"You're splitting us up?"

"Something like that. Yuán'll be promoted and assigned to the _SSV Tokyo_. You'll be going to work with Alliance R &amp; D, probably on Arcturus Station at first."

Traynor wasn't surprised at this turn of events – she had known for some time the program was ending, and fully expected that she and Xiùlán would be split up. "I take it then, that the _MSV Anixara_ was destroyed?"

Park's face was an impassive mask as she replied, "Yes, it was. Alliance News is all over the story… they have a pretty impressive list of conspiracy theories, none of which are even close to the mark."

"So, what good did we do, General? Seems to me the Alliance wasted a lot of resources, not to mention puttin' our lives at risk, for what? The knowledge of how the ship was going to be destroyed? And that bastard Lang is still in the wind!"

Park sighed heavily. "The Alliance stands to gain with that turian dead, Samantha" she said. "It is true, some innocent people died, but you and Buchanan eliminated some Cerberus thugs _and_ determined how the ship was going to be destroyed. Searchers, including a few Alliance vessels, are still out there; none of them have a clue they're flying through the debris field."

Traynor shook her head, grabbed her towel and gear and moved to the heavy bag, where she began pummeling it as hard and as fast as she could. Park moved with her and stood in quiet amazement as Sammy unleashed her three-punch combo, over and over, hitting the bag with so much force the leather covering began to splinter and crack. She circled the bag in order to keep her blows from hitting the same spot continuously, but at some point the heavy leather cover would have split if she had continued; pausing to catch her breath, she looked at Park for a moment, then wordlessly turned, grabbed her gear and headed for the showers. The general watched with a heavy heart as Traynor walked away. After a few moments, Park sighed, turned and left the gym.

* * *

_"My God, Sà mǐ! It's a wonder she didn't kick your ass out of the Alliance! She is… or was… on our side! What the hell happened?"_

Traynor was trying to explain how her meeting with General Park had gone so badly, but was afraid to give Xiùlán the whole story over an unsecured connection. "I'll be with you tomorrow, Luv… I'll give you the whole story then. Soon as you're out of rehab, we both have thirty days leave… I'm kinda hoping we can go to Shanghai… visit your family. Might be the last chance we have for some time."

The grin Xiùlán had lit her entire face._ "That sounds wonderful, Sà mǐ. Can't wait!"_

"Okay… I'll see you tomorrow, Luv. Have a good night."


	31. Calm After The Storm

_Fall in love with someone who tastes like adventure but looks like the calm, beautiful morning after a terrible storm – _Nikita Gill

* * *

**_Inamorata_** _– _A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)  
**_Nángùn _**– literally, a 'southern staff' – a polished, two-meter long white wax wooden staff

* * *

*** SOL SYSTEM • EARTH • VANCOUVER, BC ***

That evening, Buchanan and Traynor left the base for the city, intent on having a few drinks together before they were split up and re-assigned to other jobs within the Alliance. It was only a short flight by aircar to _The Smiling Tiger Tavern_, the one relatively bright spot on the corner of an otherwise quiet, darkened street.

Traynor led the way into the bar, finding a table in an area lit less by overhead lights than by small, tabletop candles. She wanted to disappear into the darkness, a place she felt fit her current mood. Despite all the work the pair had done, despite putting their lives in danger, General RaeLee Park had been unable (or unwilling) to persuade the higher ups that the turian transport _MSV Anixara_, along with its passengers and crew, didn't need to be destroyed in order to achieve the demise of turian Hierarchy hawk Raherix Ursivus.

The conspiracy theories were many; because the ship had disappeared during FTL travel between relays, there was no debris… no bodies… no evidence to prove what became the final, official verdict – an explosion, most likely caused by faulty engineering. The turians had been swift to react, grounding the _Anixara's_ sister ship _MSV Arcus Pluvius_ in order to thoroughly, methodically inspect every aspect of the ship for _any_thing that could possibly trigger a similar event. There was a lot at stake – the reputation of the turian shipyard that had designed and constructed both vessels had been called into question – no stone would be left unturned in their search for answers.

Traynor tried her best to put the entire mission out of her mind as she ordered a whiskey with a splash of lime juice – Buchanan ordered Elasa, prompting Traynor to ask, "When did you develop a taste for asari drinks, Griff?"

Buchanan offered an self-conscious grin as he replied, "On Thessia. Blue people really know how to make a good beverage." After pausing to take a sip from the glass brought by the waitress, he added, "Stuff is really tasty, enough so you don't know you're getting blasted until you're face down on the floor." Another sip was followed by a contented sigh.

Traynor was sipping her own drink as well. Looking at Griff across the top edge of the glass, she commented, "This actually tastes like it has some booze in it."

Griff grinned at her as he lifted his glass and tipped the rim towards her. "To what shall we drink, Sammy?"

Touching the rim of her glass to his, she replied, "Friendship, camaraderie, having each other's back… and being alive to enjoy it."

Buchanan echoed, '… being alive to enjoy it," before taking a large swallow of the pale green drink. As he sat his glass back on the table, a dark figure approached their table and asked, "Private party, or is there room for one more?"

Sammy stared hard at the person in an attempt to identify the owner of the familiar sounding voice before answering, "Depends on the identity of the 'one more', I suppose."

The figure pulled up a chair and sat down, pulling back the hood of her cloak as she did so. She quickly raised a hand, palm outwards with fingers up in a motion indicating 'stop' as she pressed the back of the index finger of her other hand vertically across her pursed lips. "Name's RaeLee," the quiet voice announced. "Can I buy the next round?"

* * *

General RaeLee Park, dressed similarly to Traynor down to her hooded, dark leather cloak, had searched them out in order to have a quiet, 'no ranks, no bullshit' conversation with the pair of special operatives. Sipping her scotch and soda, she said, "You're not the only person on this team that excels at tracking people down, Sammy. I needed to meet with you and Griff on a first-name basis, to explain the _why_ of what happened yesterday."

Sam was more than a little surprised; the woman sitting in front of her looked nothing like the Alliance General she knew. Her hair was down in a loosely secured ponytail, and she was wearing makeup. "I don't think there's anything you can say that will adequately explain to me why innocents are dead, _RaeLee_, but I'm willing to listen," Traynor said.

Griff placed a hand on Sammy's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze before adding in a much calmer voice, "I'm sure there must have been what seemed to be valid reasons for allowing the event to take place, RaeLee, but damned if I can see it either."

General Park's mouth was set in a firm, straight line, with just the corners tipped up ever so slightly. "Both of you did an exemplary job ferreting out the method and timing of what happened, but the plan I envisioned for preventing the event was very quickly changed to a plan to allow it by my superiors. On several levels, the group responsible needed their assassin to succeed in order to assuage their suspicions." Park grimaced slightly as she added, "Lang was good, but he got complacent. Setting containers of deuterium in plain sight was just asking to be discovered, by us or by C-Sec."

"What about Ursivus," Griff murmured? "He was a damned anti-human agitator… believed the Relay 314 incident didn't end well for Palaven. He was the most vocal of them all, but there are still plenty of turians that would just as soon kill us as not."

"His disappearance won't completely quash the anti-human rhetoric from their home world, and our standing with the turian councilor on the Citadel won't improve either." Park looked down at her now empty glass, then looked at Traynor. "Refill?"

Traynor raised her glass over her head, catching the eye of the waitress; laying out several credit chits, Sammy requested refills all around. "Dammit, Sammy… I'm supposed to be buying," Park protested.

"Don't worry about it… it's not often we get to drink with or talk to an Alliance general as if she's a real human being," Traynor smirked, concluding with, "Kinda nice." When their drinks arrived, Sammy took a swallow of whisky, placed her upper teeth on her lower lip as she sucked air through them, cleared her throat and asked, "What of the bodies we left in and around that warehouse? C-Sec must have investigated."

"C-Sec had their hands full," RaeLee replied somberly. "Seems a datapad left under a desk triggered an explosion when an attempt was made to retrieve it…" Sammy raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Griff, mouthing a silent but sincere _'thank you'_ when he looked at her. "… killed two turian officers," Park continued, "injured several others and collapsed that side of the warehouse. After all that, C-Sec didn't give a rat's ass about the dead humans they found there."

Griff wanted to know, "Were they Cerberus, RaeLee?"

"That's the theory, but we haven't asked, at least not officially. Those men knew what they were getting into when they signed up. My feeling is they were expendable to Lang."

"So, you're reassigning us," Griff stated. "Will the program continue?"

Park heaved a heavy sigh at the question; she knocked back the balance of the liquid in her glass and set it on the table with a heavier hand than intended before reluctantly answering. "Due to our prior knowledge of the sabotage and destruction of the _Anixara,_ the higher ups have decided to terminate the entire program…" after pausing at Traynor's whispered 'Bullshit!', Park continued, "…and wipe all the data you collected concerning that ship and Cerberus, along with Lang's connection to it all."

As Traynor started to speak, Park held up her hand for silence. "Sammy, if the turians or the council were to discover the Alliance had prior knowledge of Lang's plot to kill that fucking agitator by destroying a passenger vessel on which he was traveling, it would set our relations back to… well, worse than they were during the First Contact War. We cannot afford to let that happen.

"It would have been so damn much simpler if your superiors had allowed us to stop Lang and save that ship," Traynor whispered heatedly. "Now, it's too goddamn late to do anything but cover our asses and hope nothing leaks!" Sammy drained her glass in a swallow and held it over her head for the waitress to see. "I'm _glad_ Xiùlán wasn't with us! She'd be ashamed to wear the uniform after what they've done to us, RaeLee."

The general had the decency, or at least the good sense, to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Samantha. If it had been my decision to make, you and Buchanan would have been assigned to stop Lang's plot from succeeding, and Cerberus would have had to find some other way to assassinate Ursivus."

The waitress brought Traynor another whisky, asked Griff and RaeLee if they needed refills (they didn't), cleared the empty glasses and left. Buchanan could see that Traynor didn't need a third drink either, but couldn't think of a way to stop her that wouldn't end up with a broken arm for him.

Sammy downed the drink in a single gulp before slamming the empty glass upside down onto the table, startling Park and Buchanan. "RaeLee, I have come to the conclusion that the Alliance couldn't exist in its present form if it didn't simply discard people when they were of no further use to them."

Park started to protest, but Traynor got to her feet and motioned for the general to do the same. Moving to stand right in front of her, Traynor reached around the smaller woman and hugged her as she whispered in her ear, "You have my sympathy, Ma'am. You're stuck in an impossible place, doing an impossible job... all while answering to people that have their heads stuck so far up their arses they'll never see daylight again. You're a good person, RaeLee Park; I consider you a friend, but I think we're done here for the night."

Sammy kissed RaeLee on the cheek, released her and casually retook her chair. Park was stunned by Sammy's passionate dismissal; it took her several moments to think of what to say. Finally, she looked at both of them, said 'good night', then pulled her hood over her head as she turned and left.

Buchanan laid a gentle hand on Traynor's shoulder and said, "I think we should leave as well, Sammy – you have to fly to Thessia tomorrow… I don't envy you the headache you're going to have."

Sam looked at Griff for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I guess you're right. Come on… let's find a taxi, head back to our quarters."

* * *

*** UNKNOWN SYSTEM ***

Michael Moser Lang paced impatiently back and forth in front of the display pad as he waited for the secure connection to be completed with Cerberus headquarters. He had received a summons from the Illusive Man for this meeting; coming from anyone else within Cerberus, Lang would have simply ignored it. Thinking back a few hours, the thought came unbidden, _'One simply does not ignore a request from the Illusive Man… it's a good way to end up dead.'_ The trill of the quantum entanglement comm system coming online interrupted his thoughts; he stopped pacing to stand in the middle of the display pad.

The pixelated image in front of him resolved itself into a vision of a man sitting in a chair, legs crossed, drink in one hand and half-smoked cigarette between two fingers of the other, an unknown red sun filling the space behind him. "Mr Lang… It would appear you managed to complete your assignment of eliminating Raherix Ursivus." Taking a drag from the cigarette, the enigmatic head of Cerberus blew a cloud of smoke into the air above him before continuing. "Unfortunately, you were sloppy. A special unit within the Systems Alliance learned of your target _and_ your plan… a pair of operatives was within days of saving Ursivus by preventing the destruction of the _MSV Anixara;_ it's fortunate we have a highly-placed general that was able to override his subordinate's crusade to make the galaxy a better place for the other races… particularly the turians."

The hand holding the glass absentmindedly swirled the liquid and ice around for a moment; after taking a swallow of bourbon, the Illusive Man added, "Your carelessness has tied your actions to Cerberus, an unexpected, and most troubling development… you were paid to be discrete."

"I got the job done, despite the mercs that showed up at the warehouse."

"I had to intervene in the affairs of Alliance High Command, and that's the _only_ reason your assignment was completed." Stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray on the arm of the chair, the man took another sip from his glass before concluding, "The favor I was granted was not inexpensive… it is a payment that will be deducted from your completion bonus."

Lang was furious. "You can't do that! We had a deal…" he sputtered.

"… A deal contingent on your unaided completion of the assignment, Mr Lang." The Illusive Man's eyes seemed to bore all the way through his head to the back of Lang's skull. "Be glad I don't feel it necessary to permanently take care of _you_, Mr Lang." His image faded away, leaving Lang standing on the display pad in an impotent rage. _'Son of a bitch! I need to disappear for a while, see if I can discover who the hell screwed me out of my payday.'_ The angry assassin finally calmed down enough to turn and leave the QEC chamber, knowing as soon as he stepped off the pad its connection to the Illusive Man would be permanently severed. _'Cerberus doesn't realize who they're fucking with.' _

* * *

*** THESSIA • SERRICE HOSPITAL ***

Xiùlán had just returned from taking a warm bath; she'd been assisted by her therapist, Corrina Sidhu, who had carefully washed Xiùlán's left leg, propped up high and dry above the very shallow bath water. Xiùlán still blushed at having to be bathed by another – her only bathing companion up until this hospital stay had been Sammy.

Corrina was helping her get her underwear and socks on, over which she put on a clean set of 'sweats'. Xiùlán had just taken a seat on the edge of a chair, keeping her healing leg as straight as possible, when the door opened to admit a beaming Traynor.

"Sà mǐ! I wasn't expecting you until later in the day! It's so good to see you…" Her last words were muffled by Sam's shoulder as the woman reached around her _inamorata_ to embrace her and plant kisses on her brow, eyelids, bridge of her nose, cheeks, chin and neck before ending up by placing her lips on those of her lover, using them to caress Xiùlán's mouth as softly as a rare January snow falling on Hangzhou Bay.

After several moments of simply enjoying Traynor's soft kisses, Xiùlán moved her head enough to take a breath and said, "You don't know how much I've missed that, my love."

Indicating the asari therapist, Sam snarked, "And yet, you have poor Corrina here putting your clothes on for you…"

"It's no trouble, Ms Traynor… it's my job to assist her in any way possible," Corrina protested.

Xiùlán smirked as she looked at the embarrassed asari and said, "Don't take what she says about me so seriously, Corrina… She's teasing me." Her expression softened as she looked at her lover and concluded, "It's how she shows how much she loves me."

Sammy's smile was radiant as she announced, "We've got several weeks to get reacquainted, Luv. Have you talked to your parents, asked them about a visit?"

"Not yet… I thought I'd wait until I have a solid date for my discharge from physical therapy so they know when we're coming home." Xiùlán stood up, grabbed her cane and said to Corrina, "I'm ready to leave… Sà mǐ will walk with me over to the rehab center. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Corrina smiled. "She's good therapy for you, Ma'am. I'll pack up here, get everything moved for you. Just be careful going up or down stairs… you've lost a bit of strength in that knee."

"Thanks, Corrina… I'll be careful."

* * *

Traynor spent the rest of the morning filling Xiùlán in on her assignment to find and stop Michael Moser Lang's assassination of Raherix Ursivus, only to have Alliance High Command allow Lang's sabotage to succeed. Yuán had expressed amazement at General Park's complicity in the destruction of the _MSV Anixara_ until Sammy assured her that Park had her hands tied. "Her bosses are to blame for the outcome, not Park… She's still a friend, Xiùlán. I'm sure she's still in our corner, even if we'll be in completely opposite jobs."

"Is that why you're here now? Your thirty-day leave doesn't start until I'm discharged from the rehab center here?"

"Countdown begins when we leave here… When it's all over, you'll be assigned to the _Tokyo_, and I'll return to Arcturus Station," Sam replied sadly. "Won't be the same without you there."

"We both knew this time was coming, Sà mǐ. I had hoped we'd get a few more special assignments together, but…" she left the thought unfinished, then brightened as she changed the subject. "There's still our annual leave – we'll just make it a point to get together whenever and wherever we can manage it."

Traynor's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Lots of lonely nights in between, Luv."

Xiùlán attempted to change the subject again. "Will I be able to see Buchanan before we go home? I need to thank him for keeping you safe." Traynor looked away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment; Xiùlán reached around and gently turned Sam back towards her. "Come on, Sà mǐ… There's no shame in having had a helping hand and another set of eyes keep you from harm. I'm sorry those C-Sec officers died in the blast, but I'd have been devastated if it had been you and Griff instead. He may not realize it, but I owe him a great debt, one I will probably never be able to repay… least I can do is thank him for keeping watch on your six."

Sam nodded and said, "He may still be in Vancouver when we return, but if not, I'm sure he'll let me… us… know where his new duty station will be."

"That's good." The pair had been walking in a large park between the main hospital and the rehab center; Xiùlán was enjoying Sam's company so much she hadn't paid much attention as the morning passed into the noon hour. An alarm trilled on her omni-tool, indicating she had an hour before her afternoon session with Corina was to begin. "Sà mǐ, we need to eat lunch… I've worked up quite an appetite and I expect you have as well. Come on… The cafeteria in the rehab center has some delicious food."

Traynor grasped Yuán's arm and said, "Lead the way, Luv."

* * *

Traynor had been on Thessia for eight days, during which time Xiùlán continued to heal from her surgeries, to the point where she could perform some of her milder exercises in the gym… on a limited basis and strictly supervised by Corrina Sidhu – _'I'm not about to have all our hard work undone by a careless move on your part',_ she had said before Xiùlán could make her first move.

Sammy had brought their nángùns; Xiùlán busied herself with practice moves, done in slow motion at first, as if she were simply sparring with a shadow warrior. As she warmed up, she moved her upper body and arms with increasing speed while keeping her feet firmly planted, left leg back, right leg forward with knee bent, over which she held the majority of her weight. Rather than sparring with Xiùlán, Traynor exercised alongside her lover, matching her move-for-move as if she were a shadow. It was an eye-opening experience for Corrina, as she had never seen these humans work out together.

The best part of the exercises in Traynor's mind was getting to shower with her _Inamorata_ when they had finished for the day; after Sammy washed and rinsed Xiùlán's hair, she would wash her legs and feet while Xiùlán reclined on a wide bench. Xiùlán derived immense enjoyment from simply watching the nude form of the love of her life moving about in the warm mist; the soft caresses from her hands in complete conflict with the rippling muscles in her arms and shoulders.

Traynor never attended to herself until she was satisfied that Xiùlán's needs had been met; she once caught Xiùlán watching her as she washed herself. "Didn't realize I was putting on a show for you…" came the snarky comment. Turning her body to face her lover, she put a fist on a hip and asked, "Am I to understand you like what you see?"

"I'm making memories of you, is all," came the reply. Suddenly feeling shy for no reason she could name, Yuán added, "I don't want to forget how you look, how you move. Your body is exquisite, Sà mǐ… I don't believe I have ever seen its equal."

Sam sauntered over to the bench; taking a seat beside Yuán's head, she scooched herself sideways so Xiùlán could use a thigh as a pillow. Cupping the cheek of the face looking up at her, Sammy said, "My body is _your_ creation, my love. If it pleases you, then it is _my_ pleasure to display it for you." Xiùlán brought her own hand up to caress Sammy's face. Sam kissed the hand and fingers before saying, "Come on… we need to dry off and get dressed for dinner before Corrina comes looking for us."

"There's always something to interfere with our pleasure," came the reply in a mock grumpy tone. "But I am hungry, so…" Sammy made sure Xiùlán had her feet solidly under her on the water-slick floor, then walked with her to get their towels, where they had great fun drying each other before they got dressed and walked back to their room.

* * *

Every other afternoon Xiùlán had aquatic therapy with Corrina – a series of exercises in which Yuán floated face upward in chest-deep, warm water, with the asari supporting her head in the crook of one arm while maintaining gentle traction from the base of her skull down the full length of her spine; these were designed to alternately stretch and contract the muscles in her legs with slow, smooth movements that avoided sudden loading of her joints. It was extremely relaxing for Xiùlán, particularly when Corrina added a bit of biotics in her hands. The exercises contributed to the healing of the muscles in her thigh, particularly those injured by bullet and bone fragments, but also to the strengthening of the ligaments and tendons attached to the replacement 'bone' in her leg.

After an hour session, she'd take a half-hour 'break' in a deep tub of very warm water with massaging jets, after which she'd move to the swimming pool for some slow laps; Sammy would generally join her in the pool so she'd have another human for company.

On the days she didn't have aquatic therapy, Xiùlán would work out on various machines designed to strengthen the rest of her body without straining her left leg; she would also walk a circuit of the tranquil parks between the hospital and rehab buildings.

* * *

Sammy had been on the asari home world for fifteen days and was walking with Xiùlán when an incoming message from Corrina Sidhu activated each of their omni-tools. _"The Minister of Antiquities has sent her assistant, Maracela T'Rhyn, here from Armali; she would like to see both of you."_

Xiùlán glanced at Sammy as she entered a reply for both of them: "Please inform Maracela we will be there as soon as possible. I am unable to run, and aircars are not permitted in this section of the parks." Taking Sammy's arm at the elbow, she wondered about Mara's desire to see them, saying, "It's not like I'm ready to go home, Sà mǐ."

Traynor said, "She must be here to visit, Luv… Too soon for you to be discharged."

Xiùlán leaned over to plant a quick kiss on Sammy's cheek. "Probably just wants to make sure she can see me… see us… before I get discharged and we leave for Earth."

Sammy grimaced for a moment before answering in a thoughtful tone. "Perhaps she's going to take us to Armali to tour the museum. Thanks to that post-op infection, you actually _are_ a few days late getting discharged from here."

Shaking her head in disagreement, Xiùlán replied, "She would have been kept apprised of my status by Dr Shakia, Sà mǐ. I would imagine the Matriarch has an opportunity to show us the antiquities right now… such an opportunity may not present itself again until after we leave Thessia. Anyway, we'll know in a few minutes."

Upon rounding the final turn in the pathway and entering the main building, they discovered Corrina nervously waiting for them in the lobby. "Mistress T'Rhyn is waiting in the conference room down the hall from your room, Ms Yuán. I told her you would be right up."

"Thank you, Corrina." Xiùlán led Sammy to the elevator; after the brief ride, they walked past Xiùlán's room to the large conference room to greet Maracela T'Rhyn. "Mara!" Holding her hands out palms up, Xiùlán continued, "How wonderful to see you again. What brings you to Serrice?"

Placing her own hands on Xiùlán's, she replied, "Matriarch Elesia sent me here on a variety of errands, not the least of which was to meet with you in person in order to personally evaluate the progress of your rehabilitation so I may report back to her." Stepping back a pace to take a better look, she added, "The Goddess has blessed you, Xiùlán. Your pace of healing seems extraordinary, given the traumatic injury you suffered."

Xiùlán looked down at the bare skin of her thigh; she was wearing a pair of standard duty pants with the legs cut off so the still healing skin grafts wouldn't get chaffed by the fabric. "I suppose there is truth to what you say… I myself think the healing is progressing at too slow a pace."

After greeting Traynor, Mara looked from one to the other as she offered a further explanation for her visit. "My Mistress requested that I remind you both of her invitation for a private tour of the museum in Armali." Mara held up a hand before either woman could protest the special treatment. "You need to see what your mission accomplished for the asari people," she concluded. "I'm going now to speak with Dr Shakia, remind her to send word to us concerning your release from treatment here."

Xiùlán glanced at Sammy as she sighed, "Okay… and please, thank her for both of us."

Maracela smiled as she responded, "I will be sure to relay the message, but truthfully, it is we who are offering thanks to you. I look forward to seeing you both in Armali."

* * *

Xiùlán had been discharged from the rehab center by Dr Shakia, who had declared her leg was as close to a hundred percent as could be hoped – there would always be a bit of discomfort associated with the replacement of her shattered thigh bone, but the doctor reasoned that Xiùlán's condition – whose daily morning regimen of Tai Chi, coupled with the sparring exercises she enjoyed with Sammy – would continue to improve over time.

She had been given a complete copy of her medical records since her arrival on Thessia; Alliance doctors would be able to see exactly what had been done to save her leg, including Traynor's first-aid efforts before their extraction from Cartagena Station.

Traynor was walking beside her_ inamorata_ in the spacious park between the Serrice hospital and its rehabilitation center; they were enjoying their last evening together before going to the hotel room that had been reserved for their last night on Thessia. Sam couldn't help herself as she pointed out that Xiùlán wasn't even using the cane she was carrying.

Looking at the object she was holding in some surprise, she replied, "I guess you're correct, Sà mǐ… truthfully, I haven't felt the need to use it. My leg seems to have healed quite nicely, and is moving and supporting my weight without complaint."

"I'm so happy for you, Luv!" A devious smile gradually grew as she added, "We really should find a staff for you – something similar to your _nángùn_ – so you'd always be armed."

Xiùlán smiled back. "Hoping to keep me at least two meters from an assailant, Sà mǐ?"

"That's the general idea, Luv." They strolled along in companionable silence for several more minutes before reaching the entrance to the rehab center. Upon entering the main lobby, they encountered Dr Shakia, who had walked over from the hospital to say her final farewells to the pair.

"Ms Yuán… Ms Traynor… Goddess only knows when we may be blessed to see each other once again." She offered her hands in friendship, only to have them ignored as first Xiùlán, then Sammy, slipped in between the asari's arms to offer their own interpretation of friendship – a heartfelt hug.

"I can never thank you enough for all you and the people in this hospital have done to see me made whole again," Xiùlán said softly. "You have my gratitude, Dr Shakia, as well as my friendship."

Traynor tearfully echoed Xiùlán's comments. "You have made the seemingly impossible a reality, for which I will be forever grateful." Sammy kissed a blue cheek as she released the flustered doctor.

The asari coughed to clear the knot that had appeared in her throat. "I never had any dealings with humans before meeting you two and Operations Chief Buchanan; I certainly never expected that our parting would bring me such a combination of sadness and joy. It is a privilege for me to know you… both of you." After a brief pause to collect her composure, she continued. "Now, your transportation has all been arranged… by the time you collect your things from your room and return here, a shuttle will be waiting outside to take you to your overnight accommodations." With a smile and nod of her head, the doctor slowly turned and departed, afraid to say anything else, lest she burst into tears.

Xiùlán and Sammy watched her for a few moments, then turned as one to go back to Xiùlán's room one last time.

* * *

After a similar scene played out with Physical Therapist Corrina Sidhu in the passageway outside Xiùlán's room, the pair made their way back to the lobby, with Traynor carrying the heaviest of Xiùlán' packs to keep her from somehow over stressing her still healing leg. As promised by Dr Shakia, an obviously luxurious asari shuttle, gleaming paint reflecting the many glowing lights in the park, was sitting quietly near the doors.

The entry hatch opened as they approached; Xiùlán glanced at Samantha with a questioning look, to be met with a shoulder shrug. As they cautiously stepped up into the shuttle, a dim light illuminated the face of another friend. "Matriarch Elesia! How very good to see you!" Xiùlán held her hands out to the Antiquities Minister in greeting; Samantha set their packs down as she offered her own greeting to the Minister before asking, "What brings you here from Armali, Matriarch?"

Elesia's smile was radiant. Addressing Xiùlán first, she practically gushed, "It is good to see you again… both of you! And the Goddess surely has smiled on you, Ms Yuán. If I had not seen the extent of your injuries with my own eyes, I would find it difficult to believe you could be up and around so soon!" Turning her attention to Sammy, she said, "I really must apologize for this unexpected visit, Ms Traynor, but I simply could not allow Mara to have all the fun."

Splitting her attention between the pair, she continued, "You do remember that I promised you a tour of the Palace Art Gallery before your departure." Indicating the empty seats with a graceful wave of her hand, she continued, "Please, be seated… it is only a short flight to Armali." As they each took a seat – the craft's chairs felt more like richly upholstered luxury lounge recliners than a shuttle's passenger chairs – the unseen pilot closed the hatch and brought the shuttle to life while Elesia continued speaking. "I will lead you on a private tour, after which you will be my guests for a late dinner and overnight stay at my villa. In the morning, you will be taken to the spaceport in plenty of time for your flight back to Earth."

Xiùlán and Sam looked at each other for a moment before returning their gaze to the Matriarch. "Sounds like a wonderful evening, Minister," Xiùlán replied as Sam nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

*** THESSIA • ARMALI PALACE ART GALLERY ***

Sammy and Xiùlán were a bit awestruck by the number of ancient exhibits in the museum, an emotion that did not go unnoticed by their esteemed tour guide. "Asari history stretches back for millennia," Elesia remarked as she turned a corner to enter another wing of the rather large building. "I did not mean to imply that the antiquities we have here were all from the golden age of exploration."

Just as the humans had been amazed at the number of exhibits in the museum halls they had just been through, they were equally amazed at the distinct dearth of exhibits in the smaller area before them. Traynor asked, "If there are so many objects here that date back to truly ancient times, Matriarch, then why are there no more than a relative handful in this part of the museum?"

"A number of the exhibits in this wing belonged to the _six_ – the Matriarchs that managed to return from their voyages into the void. The rest, including the figurine so adeptly recovered by you two, belonged to Matriarch Dilinaga." Elesia continued to talk as she walked up to a display case housing a number of brittle-looking pieces of paper. "Her writings were only recently released from the Thessia Guildhall, possibly because several more were recently recovered by Septivus Vulpez, the turian that originally recovered the Janiri figurine."

Traynor looked in awe at the ancient pages, each a chronological record of Matriarch Dilinaga's travels through what had been the batarian controlled sector of the galaxy.

"Long way from home," Traynor mused. "Even with the relays, travel through the systems must have taken a long time."

The matriarch nodded in agreement. "Ships of that era were not nearly as efficient as those currently produced, Sammy. Remember also, a number of the planets visited by our travelers are located in systems that are virtual dead-ends, such as Gemini Sigma, Artemis Tau, Maroon Sea and the Armstrong Nebula; one must reverse direction to leave each one. It makes for seemingly time-consuming travel."

Xiùlán slowly approached the exhibit in the very center of the room – the 40 centimeter high figurine of Janiri, standing on top of a polished crystalline cylinder, the circular base of which rotated extremely slowly; it stood under a clear dome for protection and was lit by several spot lights mounted in the ceiling. Four engraved gold plates describing the artifact were mounted on separate posts installed around the central pedestal, with the posts linked by gold chains to prevent visitors from drawing too close.

Traynor walked up to join Xiùlán and remarked, "The display doesn't begin to tell of the difficulties encountered by those that retrieved it from the abyss, eh, Luv?"

Xiùlán looked at her companion with a grim smile. "Not even close." Returning her gaze to the figurine, she added, "I wonder how many other artifacts from that era are missing, whether lost to theft, or piracy… how many are sitting in people's private collections."

Elesia walked up to join the humans, responding to Xiùlán's musings. "More than I care to think about… It's amazing to me that people would be so selfish that they would deny others an opportunity to share in our history." Shaking her head as if to erase the thoughts of stolen artifacts, she said, "If you are done looking at the displays, we can leave for my home. It's not far, and I must admit to being a bit hungry."

Traynor smiled in reply. "Lead the way, Matriarch."

* * *

*** Thessia, Armali, T'Keeri Estate ***

Matriarch Elesia was as good as her word – Xiùlán and Sammy enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at her country estate, where they were treated like royalty. Maracela T'Rhyn was there as well; the next morning, she pulled Samantha aside as soon as everyone was done with brunch.

"Sammy, I have something I wish to give you, and before you say anything, please know that I believe you are one of the nicest people I have ever met." Mara dropped her eyes for a moment, the deepening color in her cheeks the only sign she was uncomfortable with what she was about to do. "I had hoped to accompany you to the spaceport, but after thinking about it, decided I would have a better chance of having you alone for a few moments before you left the estate."

Traynor was mystified by Maracela's behavior and her words. "Mara, what on Earth… er, what on Thessia... are you talking about?"

A blue hand reached for and took one of Samantha's hands as Mara attempted to explain. "You remember the day I took you and… Operations Chief Buchanan… on a sight-seeing walk near the hospital? You were looking at jewelry inside my sister's shop."

Traynor stared hard into a pair of emerald green eyes. "I do remember… Farnia was kind enough to show me an exquisite bracelet I wanted to give to Xiùlán." Sam was beginning to realize what Maracela was speaking about. "Oh, Mara… What did you…?"

With her free hand, Mara brought out a small, gaily wrapped box in the shape of a cube. "I want you to have this, Sammy, to give to Xiùlán. You don't have to tell her it's from me and my sister… simply tell her you bought it for her."

"Mara!" Sam was totally taken aback. "I cannot lie to Xiùlán… Even for the best of reasons! And this is really too much… it's too expensive!" Sam was going to refuse to take the box until she saw the hurt in Mara's eyes.

"I am sorry, Samantha. I have offended you. Please, forgive my… lack of understanding concerning humans. I did not know…" Mara closed her eyes as she clutched the box to her chest.

Sam reached up with her free hand and placed a finger on Mara's lips to quiet her. When she opened her eyes to look at the human, Sammy said softly, "Mara, it is _I_ that must beg _your_ pardon. I have misjudged you… badly." Removing her finger, she continued, "A gift, freely given in friendship, is not to be taken lightly. But if you truly wish to do this, it must be _you_ that presents it to Xiùlán, not me. You do realize I cannot give this to her as if it was purchased by me?"

Mara brushed a tear from her eye as she grinned at Sammy, her good spirits restored. "You are an exceptional person, Samantha Traynor… a credit to your race. I can see why Xiùlán looks upon you with such devotion in her eyes. Few are those that can earn a love that intense. Cherish every moment you have with her."

With a smile that lit her entire face, Sammy replied, "I do, Mara… every day of my life." She reached around the asari, embracing her in a heartfelt hug of friendship and sisterhood. Releasing her, she took a step back and said, "Now, let's go find Xiùlán. I want to see her face when she opens her gift from the sisters T'Rhyn."


End file.
